I am not very keen on Town as a team and cannot warm to David Wagner either personally or tactically, they do not play the kind of football I wish to watch and for me, the sport would be the loser were they to stay up, but I guess we could say the same about the home side, but I do not see Alan Pardew as a defensive minded coach.

Anyway, Town have defended too deep, allowed too many attempts inside their own area and have ridden their luck to have 27 points on board. Albion have bigger and deeper lying isues and I discussed these last week opting to side with both Southampton and goals for their visit here ............

 

These two played a wide open league game here at the Hawthorns two weeks ago, with Saints winning by the odd goal in five, but we could easily have seen a goal or two more. These two would definitely make the "two struggling teams , equalling goals" criteria were this a league game, as that previous game was and did, but both can forget their league worries for 90 minutes and I would expect them each to be looking to progress. Neither really need further involvement, stuck as they are in the bottom three, but Saints look too strong a squad for the drop and whilst we have heard that before about teams who have gone on to be relegated, they do have eight teams within five points and at least one of those is likely to go into freefall at some stage.

Albion are in much bigger trouble six adrift of Southampton, but are at home and need to start building a winning mentality and to find probably six wins from somewhere. The one thing that neither wants is a replay, with a replay giving them a midweek fixture inbetween two vital games when opponents will be resting. Both teams will rotate, but I can see this getting stretched like the league game as soon as the opening goal is scored. I would prefer Saints as winners, Albion just seem to want to shoot themselves in the foot and little is going right on or off the pitch, the Chairman and chief executive were both sacked in midweek, four senior players have been accused of "stealing" a taxi in Barcelona at 05.30 (!) on Thursday morning, Jay Rodriguez faces a charge of racial abuse and head coach Alan Pardew had his phone and wallet stolen from the same Spanish training camp as the other incident, where there doesn't seem to have been much "training" going on ! "Joke" doing the rounds is that Albion have stolen as many taxis as they have won league games under Pardew. Certainly doesnt feel as though he has the respect of the players, or the senior players much for the supporters and the atmoshere could get very toxic today if thing do not go the way of the home side. Away win and goals.

 

That worked out well with Saints leading by two inside an hour and winning 2-1. The Baggies actually came on strong and had 13 corners, 14 attempts inside the box and hit the woodwork and again, that game could have easily have produced another two, maybe three goals. That was the fifth game running that an Albion match went "over" 2.5 goals. Town's last ten starts in all competitions (and last 12 on the road) have seen 2+ goals and we will surely see a couple today between these two struggling teams and with the host having little use for a point now with games fast running out and sitting seven points from safety, surely a winner for one. BTS is likely, but so is a "winner".

Aaron Mooy misses just his second game since joining Town ahead of last season, playing in the other 72 league games and could be a big loss.