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Played
December 16, 2012 4:00 PM GMT
The Hawthorns — West Bromwich
Referee:‬ P. Dowd‎
Attendance:‬ 24186‎
 

West Brom - West Ham Preview: Baggies hoping to bounce back from poor run

Steve Clarke's side are on the second-worst run of form in the Premier League, having lost three in a row, and face a tough task up against Sam Allardyce's resurgent team

By Joe Doyle

More On :  West Bromwich Albion, West Ham, West Bromwich Albion vs West Ham
  PROBABLE LINEUPS

WEST BROM
West Bromwich Albion
Myhill
Reid, McAuley, Olsson, Popov
 Mulumbu, Morrison
Odemwingie, Gera, Brunt
Long
WEST HAM
  West Ham
Jaaskelainen
Demel, Collins, Reid, O'Brien
Tomkins, Noble
Taylor, Nolan, Jarvis
Cole

West Brom are likely to still be without influential midfielder Claudio Yacob (hamstring), first-choice keeper Ben Foster (groin), and Liam Ridgewell (ankle), though the trio are reported to have returned to light training this week.

In their place will be Boaz Myhill continuing in goal, Goran Popov should deputise at left-back again, and James Morrison will likely drop into a deeper role alongside Youssouf Mulumbu.

West Ham will be without influential midfielder Mohamed Diame for some time after he picked up a hamstring injury.

Sam Allardyce is likely to deploy James Tomkins as a defensive midfielder instead, or alternatively Yossi Benayoun could come into the side.

Elsewhere, the Hammers will be without Andy Carroll (knee) and Ricardo Vaz Te (shoulder), who are both long-term absentees, while Jack Collison (knee) and Alou Diarra (thigh) are closing in on a return, but are not expected back for this one.

  DID YOU KNOW?
  • West Brom have the third-best home record in the Premier League, behind only Manchester United and Manchester City.
  • Mark Noble (pictured right) has scored his last seven penalties in a row for West Ham.
  • The Baggies are on the second-worst run of form in the league, having lost their last three games in a row.
  • Steve Clarke's side have only gained one point from a losing situation this season, the worst total in the league.
  • West Brom have been behind at half-time on four occasions this season, and have gone on to lose every one of those games.
  • However, when winning at half-time, the Baggies have taken 15 points from a possible 15, the second-highest total in the league.
  • West Ham have scored an average of 1.31 goals per game this season, the same average that West Brom have conceded per game.

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Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
  • West Bromwich Albion 2-1 West Ham
    12.11 %
  • West Bromwich Albion 2-0 West Ham
    10.05 %
  • West Bromwich Albion 1-2 West Ham
    7.73 %
Head to Head
Premier League ‎(EPL)‎ 30 Mar 2013 West Ham 3 - West Bromwich Albion 1
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  • Match Report
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Premier League ‎(EPL)‎ 16 Dec 2012 West Bromwich Albion 0 - West Ham 0
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Premier League ‎(EPL)‎ 12 Feb 2011 West Bromwich Albion 3 - West Ham 3
  • Player Ratings
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Premier League ‎(EPL)‎ 10 Nov 2010 West Ham 2 - West Bromwich Albion 2
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Premier League ‎(EPL)‎ 16 Mar 2009 West Ham 0 - West Bromwich Albion 0
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Last Five Matches
West Bromwich Albion
19 May 2013West Bromwich Albion 5 - Manchester United 5EPL
12 May 2013Norwich City 4 - West Bromwich Albion 0EPL
7 May 2013Manchester City 1 - West Bromwich Albion 0EPL
4 May 2013West Bromwich Albion 2 - Wigan Athletic 3EPL
27 Apr 2013Southampton 0 - West Bromwich Albion 3EPL
West Ham
19 May 2013West Ham 4 - Reading 2EPL
12 May 2013Everton 2 - West Ham 0EPL
4 May 2013West Ham 0 - Newcastle United 0EPL
27 Apr 2013Manchester City 2 - West Ham 1EPL
20 Apr 2013West Ham 2 - Wigan Athletic 0EPL
Odds
Returns: West Brom £150.00 Bet365 Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200
Returns: Draw £34.00 PaddyPower Sign up to Paddy Power for £250 in free bets
Returns: West Ham £210.00 Bet365 Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200
Team News
Available Squads
13B. MyhillGoalkeeper
3Jonas OlssonDefender
20Goran PopovDefender
23Gareth McAuleyDefender
28Billy JonesMidfielder
7James MorrisonMidfielder
11Chris BruntMidfielder
21Youssouf MulumbuMidfielder
22Zoltán GeraStriker
9Shane LongStriker
24Peter OdemwingieStriker
19Luke DanielsGoalkeeper
25Craig DawsonDefender
30Sebastien Gabriel TamaşDefender
17Graham DorransMidfielder
8Markus RosenbergStriker
36Romelu LukakuStriker
32Marc-Antoine FortuneStriker
22Jussi JaaskelainenGoalkeeper
2Winston ReidDefender
17Joey O'BrienDefender
19James CollinsDefender
20Guy DemelDefender
4Kevin NolanMidfielder
7Matthew JarvisMidfielder
14Matthew TaylorMidfielder
16Mark NobleMidfielder
32Gary O'NeilMidfielder
9Carlton ColeStriker
30Raphael SpiegelGoalkeeper
5James TomkinsDefender
27Jordan SpenceDefender
42George MoncurMidfielder
-Sebastian Francisco LletgetMidfielder
11Modibo MaigaStriker
Players to Watch
Youssouf Mulumbu
Youssouf Mulumbu
Position: Midfielder
Squad Number: 21
Games Goals YC RC
28 2 4 1
The midfielder has forged a good partnership with Claudio Yacob when both players have been fit. Without him, though, the Congo international hasn't fared as well, and will face a tough time tracking Kevin Nolan into the box, a change from his usual box-to-box role.
Carlton Cole
Carlton Cole
Position: Striker
Squad Number: 9
Games Goals YC RC
27 2 2 1
The striker has had two good games against big sides Chelsea and Liverpool in recent weeks with the absence of Andy Carroll through injury. To really stake a claim for a starting role in the future, though, he will need to maintain that form and it will be interesting to see whether he does that up against Jonas Olsson.
Prediction
This game should be a tight one, with not too many goals for either side. However, with the loss of Mohamed Diame to injury, expect West Brom to be the more attacking side, and they should get back to winning ways at the Hawthorns.
Editor's Prediction
West Brom 2
West Ham 1
Results
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Top Scorers
Player   Goals Penalties
Robin van Persie Robin van Persie
Striker
Manchester United 		26 3
Luis Suárez Luis Suárez
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Liverpool 		23 0
Gareth Bale Gareth Bale
Midfielder
Tottenham 		21 0
C. Benteke C. Benteke
Striker
Aston Villa 		19 3
Michu Michu
Midfielder
Swansea City 		19 0

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