Having hauled themselves into the top half of the table with two consecutive wins, West Brom host high fliers Leicester City who are just three points off the very top of the table in 5th place.
The Baggies pulled off narrow 1-0 wins at Carrow Road and against Sunderland before that and will come into this game well rested having no part to play in the Capital One Cup which might prove to be decisive considering their opponents were taken to and beaten on penalties by Hull City on Tuesday evening.
Prior to the loss, the Foxes had beaten Crystal Palace by the lone goal courtesy of Jamie Vardy who was also the man behind their inspired comeback at St. Mary’s a couple of weeks back with a brace.
However, West Brom’s record at home this season has been very poor which doesn’t bode well considering Leicester have played superbly away from home. It remains to be seen how long the surprise package of the season can remain in the European places.
Team News
West Bromwich Albion: James Morrison is a doubt while Ben Foster is injured. Tony Pulis is expected to field the same starting XI which has brought his side consecutive wins.
Leicester: Matthew James remains injured while Leonardo Ulloa is a doubt. Having made changes for midweek’s League Cup game, Claudio Ranieri will ring the changes again and field his strongest side.
Probable Line-Ups
West Brom: (4-4-2) Myhill; Dawson, McAuley, Evans, Brunt; Sessegnon, Fletcher, Yacob, McClean; Rondon, Berahino
Leicester City: (4-4-2) Schmeichel; Simpson, Huth, Morgan, Fuchs; Albrighton, Kante, Drinkwater, Schlupp; Mahrez, Vardy
Head to Head
11 Apr 2015 – West Brom. 2 – 3 Leicester City Premier League
01 Nov 2014 – Leicester City 0 – 1 West Brom Premier League
26 Oct 2010 – Leicester City 1 – 4 West Brom League Cup
02 Apr 2010 – West Brom 3 – 0 Leicester City Championship
07 Nov 2009 – Leicester City 1 – 2 West Brom Championship
Interesting Stats
- West Brom have won just 4 points at home from 5 games, the second worst record in the league.
- 82% of West Bromwich’s conceded goals were conceded at home.
- West Brom have won just one of their five games at home, conceding 9 goals out of the 11 scored against them.
- Leicester City have scored the third most goals in the league (20).
- Leicester are undefeated in 13 of their last 14 matches in the Premier League.
- Leicester City have scored and conceded at least one goal in all their away games.
- Leicester City have been undefeated in their last 5 away games, scoring at least 2 goals in their last 3 away matches in the Premier League.
Key Men
West Brom: Saido Berahino
Having missed three of West Brom’s first five matches and been given a week off by the club during the international break, Berahino has been slowly trying to win over the Baggies’ faithful.
The former England Under-21 international has bagged a couple of winners in the past month or so. He is a long way from the stellar heights which he reached last season when he netted 20 goals in all competitions but it’s a step back in the right direction for the forward who had his head turned by Tottenham Hotspur in the summer in a saga which dragged on and on. The path towards redemption began with the winning goal at Villa Park and though Pulis has disclosed that there is a lot of work to be done, including shedding some extra pounds, the 22-year-old will always be amongst the goals so it shouldn’t be tough.
Leicester City: Jamie Vardy
Vardy became only the 8th player to score in 7 consecutive Premier League games when he dinked the ball deftly over Wayne Hennessey before thumping it from a yard. Not many players have composure of such ilk, and the 28-year-old has been defying all odds to lead the race for the Golden Boot.
He now has 9 goals in the last 7 matches in the league, 10 in total, already doubling his tally from last season. His ten goals have come from 41 shots, which even though unsustainable over the course of the season is still remarkable.
Moreover, Vardy is not an out and out striker. The versatile Englishman has blistering pace to go along with his close control of the ball an eye for goal. Capable of playing through the middle or on the flanks, Vardy has been spearheading the Foxes’ early season charge.
From playing non-league football with Fleetwood Town just three years ago, while paying the bills by working in a factory making medical splints, Vardy’s rise has been phenomenal and rumours of a step up linking him with clubs playing in Europe have already begun.
Prediction
1-1.
