Wolves v West Brom Preview
Posted on | February 12, 2012 | No Comments
Supporters of both of these clubs are no stranger to relegation battles and with West Brom sat in 15th spot and Wolves in 17th, the same is occurring this season. Of course, it’s not just league positions at stake in this fixture, with both sets of supporters baying for blood for local derby purposes.
Having recorded a narrow 2-1 victory over fellow-strugglers QPR last weekend, Wolves made the massive step of exiting the drop zone. However, it would be fair to say that their position is far from secure, with the Molineux Stadium outfit level on points with 18th place Blackburn with goal difference being their only saviour. That win over QPR was most definitely much-needed, with Wolves failing to win in their previous eleven before that. However, despite that victory, their supporters are unlikely to be too optimistic ahead of this clash following some truly awful home form over recent weeks. Mick McCarthy’s men have lost their last four at Molineux. Furthermore, with their last home victory occurring all the way back at the start of December, confidence amongst the Wolves players is likely to be very low.
Even though West Brom are just two places above their opponents, their supporters will probably feel a little easier about their predicament as five points currently separate them from the drop zone. Still, Baggies manager Roy Hodgson has been in the game long enough to know that things can change quickly in football and for that reason he’ll want to pick up points as quickly possible. The Hawthorns outfit might be a little low on confidence following their 2-1 loss to Swansea last week, but in general their form is quite solid. Their away results in recent weeks have been particularly impressive, with the Baggies losing just one of their last six on the road.
As for team news, Wolves have several concerns ahead of this fixture with umpteen players set to miss out for the Molineux outfit. Suspension will keep out Karl Henry, while Michael Kightly, Kevin Foley, Jamie O’Hara and Dave Edwards are set to miss out through injury. To make matters worse, Mick McCarthy will not be able to call upon Emmanuel Frimpong after he returned to his parent club following a loan spell. West Brom on the other hand are preparing to hand debuts to Keith Andrews and Liam Ridgewell who recently joined the club. Elsewhere, late fitness tests will be handed to Shane Long and Graham Dorrans.
As for a prediction, our tip is going to be based purely on form. Wolves have fared poorly at home in recent weeks, while West Brom have looked a very good outfit on their travels. Bearing this in mind, we expect the Baggies to come out of this local derby with a narrow 2-1 win.
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- West Brom v Sunderland Preview
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- Wolves and West Ham drag others into the dogfight
- West Brom v Swansea Preview
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