West Brom vs Liverpool
Venue: The Hawthorns
Kick off: 3pm
West Bromwich Albion breathed a huge sigh of relief as they defeated Crystal Palace last week to all but secure their Premier League status ahead of the visit of Liverpool.
Brendan Rodgers’s men will be looking to dampen the home side’s spirits as they are in dire need of a victory to keep their push for a Champions League place alive.
The Baggies produced an excellent performance at Selhurst Park to end Palace’s four-game winning streak to give them an eight-point cushion from the relegation zone.
The victory ended a run of three straight defeats for Tony Pulis’s men to stop their slide towards the bottom three, and should give them impetus to end their season on a high note.
West Brom’s key to the three points against the Eagles was keeping their first clean sheet in four matches. The Baggies have not won under Pulis without keeping their opposition at bay in his brief tenure at the club.
Despite their relatively mediocre defensive record this season, only Chelsea and Southampton have managed to keep more clean sheets than the Baggies in the Premier League. Seven of those shutouts have come under Pulis’s charge since January.
Saido Berahino is currently going through a dry spell in front of the net as his last strike came back in early March, a run which has lasted six matches. The 21-year-old previously went on an 11-game run without a goal earlier in the season, as his 18 strikes in all competitions this season have often come in spurts.
Rodgers will be looking for a response from his side after he saw their FA Cup dreams ended by their 2-1 semi-final defeat to Aston Villa at Wembley last week.
Liverpool are now in a desperate battle to close the gap to Manchester City in fourth place for the final Champions League spot to ensure their season cannot be deemed a failure.
Raheem Sterling has struggled since the start of the month to find his best form, and failed to provide a decent outlet in their loss at Wembley.
Brown Ideye could also push for a recall in place of Victor Anichebe after recovering from a knee injury. Long-term absentee Ben Foster is out of the game due to his torn ACL.
Meanwhile, Youssouf Mulumbu will serve the final match of his three-game ban after picking up a red card in his side’s defeat to QPR.
West Brom possible starting lineup: Myhill, Olsson, McAuley, Lescott, Baird, Gardner, Fletcher, Yacob, Morrison, Berahino, Anichebe.
Liverpool possible starting lineup: Mignolet, Can, Lovren, Skrtel, Moreno, Markovic, Gerrard, Allen, Henderson, Sterling, Coutinho.