West Brom vs. Liverpool
Venue: The Hawthorns
Kick off: 1:30PM
West Bromwich Albion hosts Liverpool at The Hawthorns on Sunday (today) having suffered back-to-back defeats in the Premier League, and head coach Tony Pulis will demand a response from his side as they welcome the Merseyside giants to the West Midlands.
Jurgen Klopp’s team showed spirit in fighting back to beat Stoke City last Saturday, but they may require a repeat performance against the Baggies if they want to strengthen their bid to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
After gaining four points from two games with Arsenal and Manchester United either side of the international break, there was genuine belief at West Brom that they could gatecrash the top seven in the standings.
However, back-to-back setbacks against Watford and Southampton respectively has left the Baggies looking over their shoulder at the Saints, and it is no longer considered a certainty that they will claim a spot in the top eight.
When Liverpool fell behind at the bet365 Stadium, their supporters would have feared the worst, especially with star duo Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino both sitting on the substitutes’ bench and Sadio Mane in the treatment room.
However, their second-half introduction sparked a fightback which many would not have anticipated and rather than struggling when the going got tough against opposition in the bottom-half of the table, Jurgen Klopp’s team showed a side to their game which has not always been obvious this season.
West Brom Possible XI: Foster, Dawson, McAuley, Evans, Nyom, Yacob, Livermore, Fletcher, Chadli, Phillips, Rondon.
Liverpool Possible XI: Mignolet, Clyne, Lovren, Matip, Milner; Lucas, Can, Wijnaldum, Coutinho, Firmino, Origi.