Saturday 16th September 2017 Kickoff:1500hrs West Brom v West Ham Football – England – Premier League The biggest compliment you can pay to West Brom is that every season which passes, they become less and less prominent in the debate around relegation contenders. Tony Pulis has reaffirmed the club’s status as a staple Premier League outfit since arriving at the club in January 2015. Last season’s top half finish was secured comfortably and although their style may not be everybody’s cup of tea, it is extremely effective and most importantly, each of the players know their jobs. This campaign has started off pretty well, too, with seven points accrued from their first four games. Their sole defeat came last week against newly promoted Brighton which was something of a surprise considering what had went before. Their opponents had struggled in their previous games whilst the Baggies has already defeated Bournemouth and Burnley, as well as drawing with Stoke. Pulis will be looking for a response to not only losing the game but conceding three goals – which rarely happens to his teams.
West Ham got their first points of the season on Monday night and much needed they were. It has been a pretty dire start for Slaven Bilic and his team who had lost their first three games in the league having conceded 10 goals in the process. The wagons were beginning to circle around Bilic who himself admitted that he was feeling the pressure having endured a disappointing campaign last term. The 2-0 win over Huddersfield at the London Stadium is unlikely to be remembered as a classic but it was vital for the Hammers and gets them up and running for this season. Just as important as the win itself was keeping a clean sheet as they have struggled with the defensive aspect of the game for a while now. West Ham are now entering a crucial couple of weeks ahead of the next international break where they have two winnable league games, the next round of the EFL Cup and a London derby against a Tottenham team who they love nothing more than to beat. First test is a trip to the Hawthorns and face a team they know they’ll have to work very hard to gain anything from.
West Brom v West Ham Betting Tip
This clash illustrates just how crucial a good defensive unit is in the Premier League. Both clubs have scored the same amount of goals (four) in the same number of games but it’s Pulis’ men who are four points better off having conceded six goals fewer. That’s an area that West Ham will simply have to improve on if they are to move up the table whilst we know West Brom will continue to be disciplined and hard to beat.
Somewhat surprisingly this has been a game that has contained a number of goals in recent meetings with a total of a 44 goals in the last 11 games. I would be surprised if we see as many goals this time around as I fully expect Pulis to go back to basics this week and ensure his team defend much better than last week. Although West Ham got back to winning ways I was still far from impressed and can see them struggling to get anything from this one.
West Brom 11/8 @ Betway
