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West Brom logo
Premier League
Apr 11, 2015 at 3pm UK
 
Leicester logo

2-3

Fletcher (8'), Gardner (26')
FT(HT: 2-1)
Nugent (20'), Huth (80'), Vardy (91')

Preview: West Bromwich Albion vs. Leicester City

Sports Mole previews the Premier League match between West Bromwich Albion and Leicester City at The Hawthorns.

Two sides at the wrong end of the Premier League table go head to head this weekend as Leicester City travel to The Hawthorns to take on Tony Pulis's West Bromwich Albion.

The Foxes are rooted to the foot of the table, six points from safety, although they do have a game in hand, while the Baggies are just seven points clear of the bottom three in 14th.



West Bromwich Albion

Manager Tony Pulis of West Brom gives direction during the Barclays Premier League match between Burnley and West Bromwich Albion at Turf Moor on February 8, 2015© Getty Images

West Brom's chances of survival have been boosted since Pulis took over from Alan Irvine at the start of the year, but they have not been able to pull away from the relegation zone completely since the Welshman's appointment.

Three defeats in their last four outings mean that the Baggies are far from safe, with their only victory in that run coming in a meeting with Stoke City last month.

Discipline has been something of an issue for West Brom in their last couple of matches, finishing a man short in their each, and conceding a total of seven goals.

Last weekend, they became just the second side this season to suffer a home defeat to QPR, as they were thrashed 4-1 by the relegation-threatened London side.

As well as letting in far too many goals, struggles in attack are also to blame for West Brom's recent woes, as they have scored just four goals in their last six matches, and only 28 over the course of the season. Only Sunderland and Aston Villa have netted fewer.

Losing Ben Foster for the rest of the season was obviously a blow for Pulis's side, but this weekend's hosts have defended well over the course of the season, keeping 12 clean sheets so far, a number only bettered by Chelsea and Southampton.

Recent form: DWLWLL
Recent form (all competitions): WLLWLL



Leicester City

Andy King of Leicester City (L) celebrates scoring their second goal during the Barclays Premier league match Leicester City and West Ham United at The King Power Stadium on April 4, 2015© Getty Images

Leicester may be bottom in the league, but they will head into this match full of confidence after ending an eight-match wait for a league win with victory over West Ham United last weekend.

The win was not enough to move them off the bottom of the table, but it keeps them in striking distance as they prepare to fight for their place in the top flight in the final weeks of the season.

Nigel Pearson will be hoping that his side can build on the win over West Ham, as they face just three sides currently in the top half of the table in their final eight matches, with a potentially relegation-deciding meeting with QPR on the final day of the season.

Last weekend's win ended a run of six defeats in eight matches, although just one of those defeats was by more than a one-goal margin, with the team having rarely been thrashed since returning to the top flight.

Although they have kept just five clean sheets in the league this season, and QPR are the only side to have let in more goals, Leicester have been a stronger attacking side than their league positions suggests, netting 29 goals. This is more than this weekend's opponents, as well as the likes of Sunderland and Aston Villa.

Leicester's away form has been a particular cause for concern though, with just two of their 16 fixtures away from the King Power Stadium resulting in victories so far, while 12 have seen the team beaten.

Recent form: LDLDLW
Recent form (all competitions): LDLDLW



Team News

Youssuf Mulumbu in action for West Brom on November 9, 2014© Getty Images

The home side will have Craig Dawson available again after he served a suspension last weekend, but their discipline issues mean that Youssouf Mulumbu misses out as he starts a three-match ban for a foul on Joey Barton which saw him sent off last time out.

Boaz Myhill should continue in goal in place of Foster as the England international continues his recovery from knee ligament surgery, while Callum McManaman is still struggling with an ankle injury.

Meanwhile, Dean Hammond and Matt Upson are back in training for Leicester after recovering from calf and Achilles problems respectively, but Pearson has not indicated whether they will be ready to return on Saturday.

Defender Zoumana Bakayogo is still sidelined with a long-term knee problem, but Liam Moore is available again after being recalled from his loan spell with Brentford in the Championship.

West Brom possible starting lineup:
Myhill, Baird, McAuley, Lescott, Dawson, Brunt, Gardner, Fletcher, Morrison, Ideye, Berahino

Leicester possible starting lineup:
Schmeichel, De Laet, Huth, Morgan, Schlupp, James, Cambiasso, Albrighton, Nugent, Vardy, Ulloa



Head To Head

When these two sides met at the King Power Stadium earlier in the season, it was the Baggies that came away with all three points thanks to an Esteban Cambiasso own goal.

Leicester's last win over West Brom came in 2008, when the Foxes thrashed their opponents 4-1 at The Hawthorns back when the two sides were playing in the Championship.

West Brom have certainly had the better of Leicester over the years, having won the last four matches in all competitions between these two sides, and have 35 wins from their 68 previous meetings, while Leicester have just 20, and 13 have ended in a draw.



Video Preview

Hit play below to see what the Sports Mole Sofa had to say about this encounter:



Sports Mole Logo

We say: West Bromwich Albion 1-1 Leicester City

Leicester will be buoyed by last week's victory, and have not struggled to score goals in recent weeks, while West Brom's attack has faltered. The Foxes might not have had that much success away from home this season, but they have an opportunity to pick up at least a point this weekend.



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3Ipswich TownIpswich38249580493181
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5West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom381991059362366
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8Coventry CityCoventry3715121059431657
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17Blackburn RoversBlackburn38119185164-1342
18Plymouth ArgylePlymouth381011175462-841
19Stoke CityStoke38118193553-1841
20Queens Park RangersQPR381010183650-1440
21Birmingham CityBirmingham38109194259-1739
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23Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds38115223061-3138
24Rotherham UnitedRotherham38311243077-4720


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