Wolves V West Brom
Date & Kick-Off: Sunday, 8 May 2011 – 12:00 (GMT)
Competition: Barclay’s Premier League
Preview in brief
– Wolves are 19th, second from bottom, but just one-point off safety; West Brom are 11th on 43-points and would leap into the top-half of the table with a win.
– Wolves are without a win in five but have recorded seven of their nine league wins this season at home, whereas West Brom have won four and lost only one of their last nine in the league.
– Kevin Doyle is still out injured for the hosts, meanwhile Baggies boss Roy Hodgson has several question marks regarding his first-team personnel but should have his big names available.
– These two sides have never met at Molineux in the Premier League.
Regarded as one of the most knowledgeable managers in the game, Roy Hodgson has received no end of praised for the outstanding work he and his backroom staff have done in transforming West Brom’s fortunes.
The Baggies are now assured of Premiership football next season, something which was up in the air when he took over from Roberto Di Matteo back in February. While he’s also got the team, one previously lacking in togetherness and weren’t really playing with any fluidity, certainly not in the final stages of Di Matteo’s reign, operating like a well-oiled machine; with the football attractive on the eye but more importantly the points have been arriving thick and fast.
During Hodgson’s nine-game reign as Baggies manager, the club have risen to 11th in the table, with the prospect of a top-half finish very much a reality. West Brom have also lost just once and boast an incredibly healthy record under the 63-year-old: W4 D4 L1.
Some leadership and organisation at the back and in the midfield; better quality of passing throughout the team in fact. Extremely resilient. The spirit and camaraderie has returned, and we know why because the players are actually smiling and looking happy for a change, as wasn’t the case in the final months of Di Matteo’s reign, when results weren’t going their way and they were on a slippery slope towards relegation. There is just an all round better feel to West Bromwich Albion.
Results do play a huge part in player confidence, as well as maintaining healthy levels of morale back in camp, and so it’s hardly surprising that West Brom, whom have lost only one of their last ten league games and have beaten the likes of Aston Villa and Liverpool in recent weeks, continue to collect points.
One team who have lost their way when it comes to locating the points trail is Wolves. Not since the middle of March have Wolves celebrated a Premiership victory, losing three of their five matches since. Their form is alarming considering they’re in a relegation dogfight, are second from bottom and only have three more games left, all against teams of a similar ilk I may add, to save their season.
Last week, Wolves drew 1-1 with a Birmingham side who spent much of the game down to ten men but in general aren’t too dissimilar to Wolves’ opponents on Sunday. The Baggies are very resilient and extremely well-organised, the only difference being that West Brom, in all probability, will play the full 90 minutes with ten men and are in far better form. So I envisage another tricky assignment for Mick McCarthy’s team, who would struggle to beat a team from the Championship on current form, which is where I firmly believe they’ll be next season.
West Brom to push those pesky Wolves over the edge looks outstanding value.
Betting Selection(s):
West Brom to WIN – 3.40 WilliamHill
Peter Odemwingie to Score – 3.00 Unibet
No player in West Brom’s hardly illustrious or extensive Premiership history has scored more times in a single campaign than Peter Odemwingie, who has found the net 14 times in the league this season and will be their biggest goal-threat on Sunday.
