Tony Pulis would have been absolutely fuming following last weekend’s loss at home to QPR. His West Brom side seemed to be making real progress and building a momentum that had them pulling clear of the relegation zone which has haunted them for much of the season. The defeat would have been hard enough to take as it came against a side below them who are also fighting for their lives but for Pulis, going down 4-1 at home – 3-0 down at half time – would have made it even worse. The result would have been a huge surprise for many as they had won their last four at home without conceding a goal. There is still a comfortable enough gap between West Brom and the bottom three, but they will be determined to guarantee their safety as soon as possible.
After six defeats in eight games, Leicester City finally ended their drought by taking what they hope will be an invaluable three points come the end of the season. An 2-1 win at home to West Ham was their first success since the 10th of January and it keeps them on the tails of the clubs above them. They have of course been bottom of the table for a number of weeks now, but they have never been cast adrift. They remain only six points behind Hull and have the advantage of having played a game less. They have actually played the fewest of all the teams involved in the battle for survival and whilst you would prefer to have the points on the board, the manager and players will look at it from the perceptive that they have 24 points to play for – more than any other side.
It looks as though West Brom will be playing Premier League football for another season despite losing last week. Pulis will never admit to that, of course, and will be demanding a reaction for losing to QPR and conceding four goals in front of their own fans. It was the first time a team managed by Pulis had conceded four goals in any match since Stoke loss to Chelsea 4-0 back in January 2013. It illustrates just how rare an occurrence it is for one of his team’s to be taken apart like West Brom were last Saturday.
Having won just five games all season, the doubters will point to the fact that Leicester will have to do something they have failed to do all season in order to survive – find some consistency. Their best run of form was taking seven points from a run of three games back in September. They have found it difficult to string positive results together despite playing well on a regular basis. One of their most glaring weaknesses is their inability to keep clean sheets. Nigel Pearson – a no nonsense defender himself – his men have shutout the opposition just five times in their 30 Premier League games.
I think it’s fair to say that this game is more significant for Leicester than it is for West Brom. The home side may be sitting a little nervously after losing last weekend but their visitors are in a much more perilous position as they prop up the table. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if West Brom respond with a victory after disappointing against QPR but there’s too many doubts for me to recommend a home win. Instead, I think the 4-1 defeat last Saturday showed that despite keeping four clean sheets before that, the Baggies defence can be got at. Leicester try to play on the front foot no matter if they are home or away, and have scored in six of their last seven away games. Five of those seven seen at least three goals and I think this match has every opportunity following suit. It’s traditionally a fixture which contains goals, with five of the last seven all going over three.
Over 2.5 goals 11/10 @ William Hill
