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West Bromwich Albion vs Aston Villa: 20/12/2020 – match preview and predicted starting XIs

West Bromwich Albion vs Aston Villa

Date: 20/12/2020

K/O: 19:15

Venue: The Hawthorns

Referee: Martin Atkinson

TV: BT Sport

Sam Allardyce gets his first taste of a Midlands derby as his West Bromwich Albion side host Aston Villa this weekend.

West Brom will host a Villa side who will be entering their second Midlands derby in a week. The Baggies will be aiming for a better result against Villa than their closest rivals Wolves could manage and will be looking to a newly appointed Sam Allardyce to lead them to victory. Allardyce replaces Slaven Bilic, who, despite gaining some impressive results in recent weeks, was deemed surplus to requirements at the Hawthorns. Allardyce is presented with a huge opportunity to get the Baggies fans onside immediately, similarly to how Tim Sherwood won Villan hearts in 2015, beating West Brom twice in his first week at Villa Park.

Allardyce’s appointment has come under heavy criticism from both journalists and fans alike, who believe Bilic was starting to turn the tide with his West Brom team, evident from their most recent draw with Manchester City mid-week. The Croatian manager led West Brom to promotion at the first time of asking in 2019-20 and has kept them stable, if not magnificent, in the Premier League so far. As performances seemed to be turning for the Baggies, a change in management will undoubtedly prove a pivotal point in their season. We will soon find out whether it is for better or worse.

Looking ahead to this weekend’s derby, it is difficult to say how West Brom will perform, considering they are under new management. From his past appointments, we know Allardyce likes to set up his sides to be frustratingly tricky to score past. Another common theme for Allardyce sides is their lack of goalscoring threat, which the Baggies have already suffered with in 2020, without a well recognised and established goalscorer at the club. Based upon Villa’s last few games, we have seen the Midlands side struggle to break down teams, scoring only one goal in thee of their previous four games. A stubborn defensive effort could be all it takes for West Brom to beat Aston Villa, and for Allardyce to win over the baggies faithful with victory over their local rivals.

Looking at Allardyce’s opponents for this weekend, things aren’t entirely cheerful with Aston Villa. Yet again, Villa failed to win at home against a side they were expected to beat, in Sean Dyche’s Burnley. Similar to how we expect Allardyce to set up West Brom this weekend, Dyche put eleven men behind the ball and frustrated Villa, who saw none of their 27 shots converted. Villa’s bit-part lineup can only be partly to blame, as key players such as Jack Grealish and Ollie Watkins also struggled to put chances away when they arose. Dean Smith will be hoping his side can rely on their fantastic away form to spur them on to local derby victory this weekend.

Looking ahead, Villa could be handed a massive boost with the return of some key players. Douglas Luiz and Matty Cash both return from suspension, giving Villa’s midfield and backline a difference in quality which will be desperately needed against a motivated West Brom side. Ross Barkley could feature and may be the creative spark required to break down what will be a stubborn baggies defence. With Trezeguet still expected to be missing, Smith could line up with a similar attacking unit of Watkins, Grealish and Traore, all of which created chances against Burnley, without being able to finish them. In a game that will undoubtedly be closely contested, one goal could be all that’s needed to earn all three points.

Team News

West Brom

Matheus Pereira remains suspended; however, Hal Robson-Kanu could feature following a wrist injury.

Aston Villa

Douglas Luiz and Matty Cash both return from suspension. Trezeguet and Ross Barkley could feature following hamstring injuries. Ezri Konsa is highly doubtful to return following an unspecified illness which rules him out of the West Brom game.

Predicted Starting XIs

West Bromwich Albion (3-4-1-2): Johnstone; Ajayi, Ivanovic, O’Shea; Furlong, Sawyers, Livermore, Gibbs; Gallagher; Robinson, Grant

Aton Villa (4-3-3): Martinez; Cash, Hause, Mings, Targett; Luiz, McGinn, Ramsey; Grealish, Watkins, Traore

Predicted Score: West Bromwich Albion 1-0 Aston Villa

Both sides will not want to give an inch in this local derby. With Villa’s poor attacking form of late and the managerial bump of Allardyce, West Brom could edge this one for a crucial three points.

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