After a dull draw against bitter rivals Manchester United, Liverpool welcome Tony Pulis’s high-flying West Bromwich Albion to Anfield on Saturday as Jurgen Klopp will look to keep up the pressure on the teams placed above them.
The Reds, despite a series of tough fixtures to start with for the season, have managed to come away with a creditable tally of 17 points from their first 8 games. As a result, they sit inside the Top 4 in the Premier League standings. However having missed out on a golden opportunity to go level with Manchester City and Arsenal at the top last week, Jurgen Klopp’s Reds will be keen to keep pressure on the leaders by taking all the three points on Saturday.
A home fixture against a side placed 12th in the Premier League should ideally be easy pickings for Liverpool given their recent run of form, except that it won’t. The Reds will be up against a West Bromwich Albion side led by Tony Pulis on Saturday and if their recent record against either of the two is any indicator, Klopp’s team will be made to sweat to get a result.
Team News and Tactics
Liverpool FC
Jurgen Klopp will want Liverpool to do away with their Tony Pulis hoodoo when they welcome the Baggies during the weekend. The Merseysiders last emerged victorious in the Premier League against a team led by Pulis back in 2011 when he was the manager of Stoke City. The Welsh boss’s long-ball tactics last season enabled West Brom to impede Liverpool’s free-flowing football and helped his side to come away with draws, both home and away.
There are a lot of positives on the injury front for the Reds with Adam Lallana and Georginio Wijnaldum set to return to the starting XI after suffering injuries to their groin and hip respectively. James Milner was hauled off last week during the game against Manchester United but the 30-year-old has since returned to training and is also in the reckoning for the West Brom clash. There is a chance Alberto Moreno could be a given a run-out for the Reds after an extended spell on the sidelines. Apart from the Spaniard, the rest of the defence selects itself with the likes of Nathaniel Clyne, Joel Matip and Dejan Lovren among the first names on the sheet.
Jordan Henderson’s impressive performances recently mean he could continue to keep his place in a midfield three along with the returning Lallana and Wijnaldum. Daniel Sturridge though didn’t enjoy similar fortunes last week and will be hoping for a chance at redeeming himself against the Baggies. If he does start up-front though, we may well see Philippe Coutinho drop back to a midfield three with Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane flanking the England international at the top.
Whether we will see that bit of alteration in the Reds lineup is unclear, but with Klopp placing importance on securing the three points he may deem it fit not to tinker too much with the winning formula. It’ll also be interesting to see how Klopp counter’s Pulis’ long-ball tactics and whether he will be able to finally extract a result from this fixture after settling for a couple of draws last season.
Possible Starting XI (4-3-3): Karius, Clyne, Matip, Lovren, Milner; Wijnaldum, Henderson, Lallana; Mane, Firmino, Coutinho.
West Bromwich Albion
West Brom have made an impressive start to the season having picked up 10 points from their first 8 games so far. Having held Spurs to a draw last week, the Baggies will fancy their chances of holding the Reds as well like they did last season. However, they will miss the presence of Jonny Evans in defence after the former Manchester United centre-back earned himself a one-match ban for his sending off against Spurs.
In his absence, an old nemesis for Liverpool in Jonas Olsson is set to take charge at the back. The Swedish centre-back, however, hasn’t featured for the Baggies since August and will hence have to come out with one of his best performances if he is to secure a regular berth in the starting XI.
Nacer Chadli has been in good nick for Tony Pulis’s side since making the transfer from Tottenham over the summer and will be the key player against the Reds as well, as he will be tasked with providing suitable delivery for Salomon Rondon up front in attack. Saido Berahino is ruled out of the game as he is yet to return to full match fitness having returned from the international break overweight.
Possible Starting XI (4-5-1): Foster, Dawson, McAuley, Olsson, Nyom; Philips, Fletcher, Yacob, Chadli, Mclean; Rondon
Key Stats
- Liverpool are unbeaten in six Premier League games against the Baggies, but four of these games have ended in draws.
- West Brom have twice won at Anfield in the Premier League – in April 2012 and February 2013.
- Liverpool have gone six league matches without defeat and are unbeaten in 11 Premier League games at Anfield (W6, D5).
- The Reds have only failed to score in two of their 18 Premier League home games under Jurgen Klopp.
- West Brom have drawn 1-1 in each of their last three Premier League games.
- The Baggies have won just one of their last 10 away matches in the league (D6, L3).
Player to watch out for
Liverpool FC: Georginio Wijnaldum
The Reds sorely missed Wijnaldum’s physical presence in midfield last week against Manchester United and with the Dutchman making a return to action this week from his hip injury, it’ll be interesting to see how he along with Henderson and Lallana break-down a five-man midfield and unlock what’s been a fairly sturdy defence so far.
Betting Tips
1. West Brom +1.5 @ 2.075
2. Over 3.5 cards @ 1.83
Underdog Bets:
1. West Brom clean sheet YES @ 10.00
Prediction
Liverpool 2-0 West Brom
For Liverpool, it’s all about converting the chances they create. It’s quite simple as that. Klopp’s team create a ludicrous amount of chances and it’s their inability to finish them that can cost them at times. But given the form that they have been in, the odds will be in the Reds’ favour to break their Tony Pulis curse on Saturday.
