West Brom need to make one change as Dawson is suspended, making for a rare alteration to a very settled defence. Nyom likely moves to right back, opening up space for Galloway on the left, which is a weakening. No other changes are expected, with Pulis stating those playing deserve to start, meaning Chadli is left on the bench again, with Morrison continuing despite struggling late time out. They’re in good confidence and form, particularly at home, so they’ll believe they can beat a Swansea side struggling on the road. A fully motivated team will take to the field as they aim for three straight home wins, playing more openly in front of their own fans. They’ll cause problems going forward and will become more expansive the longer they’re level, with only a win pleasing. If they get ahead they’d happily allow Swansea the ball, sitting in to consolidate before hitting on the counter, which they’ve proven very adept at. Goals are in decent supply at home and with Swansea struggling defensively they’d believe they can turn things round if they trail. They’ll be slight favourites and have better form and momentum.
Swansea are close to full strength as just Fernandez and Sung-Yeung Ki miss out injured, with neither being missed. Following a 3-0 win Bradley isn’t expected to make notable changes, meaning regulars such as Naughton, Fer and Cork only make the bench as Angel Rangel, Britton and Fulton all keep their spots on merit. Montero could displace Barrow out wide in the only alteration, a neutral change. Morale has improved after a win against Sunderland, but away from home they’ve been poor, taking one point from their last six games on the road. A draw here would be a good result, but they’ll see it as a chance to take a win if they can get ahead, though they wouldn’t be unhappy with a point. A balanced, possession based approach is expected, however they must be sensible when going forward. Defensively they are vulnerable, with just one away clean sheet all season, so they’d have to perform very well to shut out an in-form West Brom side. A win is the aim, but to get one they may need to score twice, something they’ve struggled to do on the road. They won’t be reckless if level late, being content to take a point and build a small unbeaten run to provide some momentum.
Verdict & Prediction
Even with a loss at Chelsea, the mood around West Brom is very good, as they’ve enjoyed a strong start to the season by their standards. Sitting in the top half is something they’ll be keen to achieve come the end of the season, but to get there, they need to be winning games like this. They’ll fully believe they can beat Swansea and are in strong home form, recording back to back victories. They’re not used to being favourites, but have coped well with the tag in previous games, so will look for a win that could move them up to 7th. Any other result wouldn’t satisfy.
Prediction : West Bromwich Albion -0.50 AH (same as WBA to win the match)
Odds : 2.08 Pinnacle
