HomeFeatured ArticlesWest Brom vs Newcastle Preview | Team News, Stats & Key Men

West Brom vs Newcastle Preview | Team News, Stats & Key Men

This weekend two of the league’s mid-table sides meet in a match that could be an entertaining one. After a poor start, Newcastle are one of the form sides in the country after beating Tottenham, Manchester City and Liverpool. Meanwhile, West Brom are progressing well under Alan Irvine, with Saido Berahino leading the charge. His impressive displays resulted in the striker getting a call up to the England squad this week, with many saying it’s long overdue.

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West Brom are coming into this match after a 1-0 victory away at Leicester with an own goal through Esteban Cambiasso. Alan Irvine has created a well organised side at West Brom with the likes of Andre Wisdom, Craig Dawson and Saido Berahino providing consistent performances on a weekly basis. They are a side that has been hard to beat, but they have been better on the road than at home, Newcastle will be hoping that continues this weekend.

The away side have come on a lot in recent weeks as they have moved to a game that is centred around pace and power. The improving performances of Moussa Sissoko have played a huge role in their revival as his power makes him one of the most influential players in the league when he is playing well.  Meanwhile, Mehdi Abeid, Sammy Ameobi, Rolando Aarons, Adam Armstrong and Ayoze Perez have all performed well when called upon, showing the strength in depth that’s starting to develop at the club.

In last season’s fixture, the Baggies came out on top 1-0 due to a late Berahino penalty in a match that saw Mathieu Debuchy get a red card for the visitors. This was Keith Downing’s only win as caretaker manager. In the reverse fixture, Newcastle won 2-1 with goals from Yoan Gouffran and Moussa Sissoko, while Chris Brunt score for West Brom.

Interesting Stats

Last November, Newcastle won all four of their matches that led to Alan Pardew receiving the Manager of the Month award. Their win against Liverpool has given the club a chance to have a good November again this year.

Key Men

Berahino

Saido Berahino will be on a high this weekend after getting his first call up to the England squad, after being the top scoring Englishman in the division over the opening run of games. His finishing capabilities are up there with the best in the country, therefore it is unsurprising that he continues to make such an impact on the top flight. He has proven that he can deal with the pressure of being the main player in a side. The forward looks like he is destined for bigger things, but if he continues to add to his seven league goals over the next couple of months, his reputation in the game will continue to grow. He scored in the fixture last season making this one a good one for him and the Newcastle defence have been vulnerable to pace in the past, making this weekend an appetising one for the striker.

Sissoko

Moussa Sissoko has been the driving force of Newcastle’s recovery in the recent weeks. He scored the crucial second goal in the Capital One match with Manchester City, while his powerful runs from midfield were the main cause of the team’s winning goals against Tottenham and Liverpool. He has looked every inch the French international midfield player that he is. The former Toulouse man has been inconsistent at times, not having the impact on matches that Alan Pardew would expect from him, but if his level stays the same as it been in the good run of late, Newcastle could have a player on their hands that will continue to have a big influence on matches. His power when driving through the centre and down the wings will cause West Brom issues, as once he gets in full flow, he is impossible to stop.

Team News

Jonas Olsson and Silvestre Varela are both expected to miss the visit of Newcastle with injuries, while Sebastian Pocognoli could feature as he is likely to recover from the knock has suffered. Saido Berahino is likely to start, And Alan Irvine is expected to go with five in midfield, which means record signing Brown Ideye will have to settle with a role from the bench. Irvine may consider recalling Youssouf Mulumbu due to the power Newcastle possess in the middle of the park.

Gabriel Obertan is going to be out for a number of months after tearing his thigh against Liverpool. Rolando Aarons was expected to replace him, but he is a doubt with a knock himself. If he misses out it’s between Yoan Gouffran and Remy Cabella to start in place of Obertan. Cheick Tiote is still a couple of weeks away from a return, therefore Mehdi Abeid should retain his place after impressing against Liverpool. Ayoze Perez is a candidate to start after scoring winners in the last two matches. Siem de Jong, Davide Santon and Mike Williamson are also in the treatment room. Newcastle received good news this week as Jonas Gutierrez got the all clear from testicular cancer, he is expected to return to the North East this month to join the squad.

Betting

Moussa Sissoko has been in great form recently, his last three goals for Newcastle have come away from home, with his pace and power being perfect for the counter attacking game away from St James’ Park. He has also scored against West Brom before. If you think he will score this weekend, you can get odds of 7.02 with TailorBet here.

Bet here: eplindex.com/tailorbet

Verdict

Both teams have been in a good run of form of late, and it will certainly be a good game with both sets of players high on confidence. The Newcastle players know they need to maintain their level of performance as big players like Davide Santon, Siem de Jong and Cheick Tiote are going to return over the coming months and all three would expect to start games, therefore the likes of Rolando Aarons, Mehdi Abeid, Paul Dummett and Ayoze Perez need to keep performing. West Brom are well organised, but playing at home restricts them as they need to dominate the play, which they aren’t as good at. A counter attacking side like Newcastle will do damage against West Brom when they are caught out of shape. I expect Newcastle to make it five wins in a row in all competitions, their pace and power will be too much for West Brom, especially at the Hawthorns.

West Brom 1-3 Newcastle United

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