WEST BROMWICH ALBION VS. LIVERPOOL: PREMIER LEAGUE | MATCH PREDICTION AND FANTASY FOOTBALL TIPS
Already relegated West Brom take on Liverpool at The Hawthorns in the Premier League on Sunday evening.
The 19th-placed Baggies are winless in their last four league games, conceding 9 goals throughout those matches. West Brom have put on several spirited performances in the season, but the chances of that sort of performance seem less likely this time with their fate already sealed. However, they can play party spoilers and stop their much-fancied opponents from playing in the Champions League next season. A win here will see them leapfrog Fulham into the 18th spot in the points table.
A brace from Roberto Firmino, accompanied by goals from Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah, wrapped up an impressive 4-2 victory for Liverpool against Manchester United in their last game. However, the 3-day gap between the two games is far from ideal for Jurgen Klopp’s side. The last season’s champions have to dig deep into their squad to secure a win here and continue their push to get back into the top four places. They are only 4 points off Chelsea and 6 points off Leicester. A win here will put them right in the middle of the 3-team battle for the two Champions League spots.
In head-to-head meetings between these two teams, Liverpool have won a massive 68 games as compared to West Brom’s 39 wins. 45 games between them have ended in draws. The last five games have seen 3 draws and a win apiece for each side.
The previous meeting between the two teams took place in December last year and ended in a spirited 1-1 draw at Anfield. Sadio Mane and Semi Ajayi were on the scoresheet for their respective teams in that game.
Rivalry Stats
- As many as 6 of the last 8 Premier League encounters between West Brom and Liverpool have ended in draws, with Liverpool winning the remaining two matches during the 2016-17 season.
- West Bromwich Albion have lost their last 17 home league matches against the reigning champions by an aggregate score of 44-9. Their last win at the Hawthorns over the reigning champion came in the 1980-81 season against Liverpool.
- Since losing three consecutive games between April 2012 and February 2013, Liverpool are unbeaten in 11 Premier League matches against West Brom (W4, D7).
- Liverpool have only won 1 of their 5 league matches against the three newly-promoted teams this season (D3, L1). Should they fail to win this game, it will be the first time since 1980-81 that they have only one win against newly-promoted teams in a season.
- Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah has been directly involved in 30 goals in 41 Premier League appearances on Sundays for the club (23 goals, 7 assists). Only Steven Gerrard (72), Robbie Fowler (31) and Daniel Sturridge (31) have been involved in more goals on a Sunday for Liverpool.
Match Details
- Match: West Brom vs. Liverpool
- Venue: The Hawthorns, West Bromwich
- Date & Time: May 16, 2021 at 9 PM IST
Team News
West Brom
- Injured: Robert Snodgrass, Branislav Ivanovic
- Doubtful: None
- Suspended: None
Liverpool
- Injured: Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Joel Matip, Divock Origi, Naby Keita, Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Ozan Kabak
- Doubtful: Ben Davies
- Suspended: None
Predicted Starting XI
West Brom (3-5-1-1)
Sam Johnstone (GK); Semi Ajayi, Kyle Bartley, Dara O'Shea; Darnell Furlong, Okay Yokuslu, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Conor Gallagher, Conor Townsend; Matheus Pereira; Mbaye Diagne
Liverpool (4-3-3)
Alisson Becker (GK), Trent Alexander-Arnold, Nathaniel Phillips, Rhys Williams, Andrew Robertson; Thiago Alcantara, Fabinho, Curtis Jones; Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane
- West Brom form guide: L-D-D-L-W
- Liverpool form guide: W-W-D-D-D
Match Prediction
West Brom will hope to exploit the inexperienced pairing of center-backs Williams and Phillips, who hardly have the same aura as Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez, and put some jitters in the Reds camp here.
However, an in-form Liverpool frontline should ultimately overwhelm their opponents and lead the team to a comprehensive win in this one. Moreover, Jurgen Klopp will be keen to improve on his poor record against West Brom’s manager Sam Allardyce.
Howzat Dream Team
- Goalkeeper: Alisson
- Defenders: T A-Arnold, Fabinho, N Phillips, S Ajayi
- Midfielders: A Maitland-Niles, M Pereira, C Jones
- Forwards: M Diagne, M Salah, R Firmino
- Captain: M Salah/R Firmino
- Vice Captain: M Pereira/T A-Arnold
NOTE: The Howzat dream team above is just a suggestion. You can select your own fantasy 11 by using your knowledge and fantasy premier league tips. Also, don’t forget to make any necessary changes to your team once the actual starting 11 is announced by each team (60 minutes before the start of the match) as some players you have selected might not be part of the fantasy 11.
Select your own team and play fantasy football on your favorite fantasy football app, Howzat!
