West Bromwich Albion earned a vital point at Tottenham Hotspurs on Saturday that saved them from landing into the relegation zone. West Bromwich Albion will host Newcastle United at the Hawthorns on Tuesday in a match whose result can drag the hosts to the drop zone, or brings the visitors closer to the relegation battle. The Baggies are currently placed in the 17th spot of the league standings and can climb the ladder to 14th place should they beat their Tuesday's opponents.
Newcastle United is traveling to the Hawthorns at the backdrop of suffering their fourth consecutive Premier League defeat at the hands of Watford at St.
James Park on Saturday. The Magpies need to start winning their matches, or Rafa Benitez could become the seventh manager to lose his job since the season began. However, an away victory could take Newcastle from the 14th position to the ninth spot in the Premier League log.
Match facts
- West Bromwich Albion is winless in 11 consecutive Premier League matches. Before the weekend's draw at Tottenham Hotspur, the Baggies had lost four league games in a row culminating to the sacking of Tony Pulis.
- The last six meetings between the two sides in all competitions have seen Newcastle United win on three occasions while the Baggies have prevailed two times. The remaining contest ended in a stalemate.
- The last five encounters featuring the two teams in all competitions have witnessed low scoring with each game failing to yield more than three goals. In fact, the last two meetings saw the winner emerge with the identical scoreline of 1-0 in each match.
- Newcastle United has just managed to record a single victory in the six Premier League matches they've played this season. The Magpies lost four while drawing the remaining match in that period.
- West Bromwich Albion has conceded a minimum of two goals in the last three league matches they've played at home. Chelsea was the last visitors at the Hawthorns, and the Londoners prevailed with a 4-0 victory over the hosts.
- The last three Premier League matches that the Baggies have hosted have realized a total of more than three goals. The 4-0 humiliation at the hands of Chelsea was preceded by a 3-2 defeat to Manchester City.
Team news
Gary Megson started a new life as the West Bromwich Albion interim manager on a positive note by securing a crucial away point at Wembley Stadium.
The manager is not expected to make critical changes given that he still want to have a proper knowledge of his players. However, he'll have to make his team without Nacer Chaldi, James Morrison, and Craig Dawson who will watch the game with injuries.
Jamaal Lascelles is an automatic absentee for the match due to the injury he's nursing.
Paul Dummett is unfit but could find a space on the bench while Christian Atsu is doubtful for the game. However, Isaac Hayden who served a one-match suspension will return to the squad and take his position in the midfield. Rafa Benitez could use Aleksandar Mitrovic to intensify Newcastle United's attack option.
Prediction
It's one game that's difficult to call given that both teams are going through a tumultuous period.
Rafa Benitez has a slight edge because he's been with his team for a long time while his opposite number has barely taken less than 10 days at the helm. Besides, Benitez has a vast coaching experience since he had previously coached European giants like Liverpool, Valencia, Inter Milan and Real Madrid.