Premier League preview: West Brom vs Arsenal

koclokindoblog, 11 Mei 2012, Arsenal can secure a berth in next season's Champions League group stage with a victory away to West Bromwich Albion on Sunday.

The Gunners (67 points) are winless in their last four starts but can put third spot beyond the reach of Tottenham (66) and Newcastle (65) with three points on the final day of the season.

A loss or draw, however, would leave Arsenal sweating on the results of Tottenham's clash against Fulham and Newcastle's journey to Everton and could bundle the Gunners out of the Champions League altogether.

The West Brom faithful are expected to give new England manager Roy Hodgson a rousing farewell as he takes change of his last game at the Hawthorns before turning his attention to England's Euro 2012 campaign.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has warned his players not to be overawed by the occasion.

"I believe that it will be an emotional departure, maybe, but I think what is important for us is to turn up with a good performance and win the football game," Wenger said.

"It will be another tense week. When you consider the last three home games, we have taken two points, we have a lot of regrets. Let's hope we will not pay the heavy price for that.

"We don't know whether fourth will be enough. It is not Champions League (proper), it is a qualifier at best. Maybe not at all if Chelsea win the Champions League."

West Brom striker Shane Long believes his Albion team-mates owe it to Hodgson to secure a top-half finish in the Premier League.

"It's been a pleasure playing under Roy and I'm a better player for it because I've learned a lot of new things," Long told the official West Brom website.

"He's turned us into a stable club in the Premier League that are looking up rather than looking down."

Arsenal were 3-0 winners last time the sides met in November with Robin van Persie, Thomas Vermaelen and Mikel Arteta all scoring at the Emirates.

 

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Premier League preview: West Bromwich Albion vs Aston Villa

koclokindoblog, 27 April 2012, Aston Villa's relegation fears appear to be deepening by the week ahead of Saturday's trip to West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League.

Manager Alex McLeish was subjected to a barrage of abuse before and after Tuesday's 2-1 defeat at fellow strugglers Bolton, a result that leaves Villa with only one win in their past 13 games.

Bolton's Martin Petrov responded to Stephen Warnock's opener on the hour mark within three minutes before David Ngog sealed the comeback almost immediately to wrench Villa within three points of the drop.

The fans immediately vented their fury at the ex-Birmingham boss who took their rivals down at the end of the 2011 season before crossing the city.

And, with a tough game at the Hawthorns to come as well as a home game with Tottenham and away trip to Norwich on the final day, Villa are now facing the most unlikely of relegations.

Two teams out of Villa (36 points), QPR (34), Wigan (34), Blackburn (33) and Bolton (33) are likely to go down but the latter four have better form and Bolton have a further game in hand.

Roy Hodgson's West Brom pose the next real threat to Villa's safety and are in hot form.

Wins over Blackburn, QPR, and Liverpool on Sunday, highlight a fine run of three wins in four games, with a 4-0 loss at Manchester City the only blotch in their copybook.

Marc Antoine-Fortune (hamstring) failed a late fitness test for Liverpool but should be fit in time to face Villa while Steven Reid, James Morrison and Zoltan Gera are all still unavailable.

Striker Darren Bent (ankle) is the key absentee for Villa and they could dearly do with his goals for the run in.

 

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Premier League preview: Liverpool vs West Brom

koclokindoblog, 19 April 2012, FA Cup finalists Liverpool will turn their attention back to the English Premier League when they host West Bromwich Albion on Sunday.

Liverpool have slipped to eighth on the table after winning just once in their last five league matches.

But they return to Anfield full of confidence after edging Everton 2-1 in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley last week.

"It's now a case of getting ourselves back down to earth," Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish told liverpoolfc.tv.

"We've not got much experience of dealing with big games and the matches that follow it.

"A few of the lads have been through it, but mainly we are a new team and this is a new test for the majority."

With three matches to play before the FA Cup decider against Chelsea on May 5, Dalglish is hopeful Liverpool can produce a similar reaction to their Carling Cup victory at Wembley in February.

"The following weekend (after winning the Carling Cup) we went out and produced one of our best performances of the season against Arsenal," he said.

"Now we're just off the back of another good result at Wembley, and we want a similar response."

With West Brom's top-flight status all but secured, manager Roy Hodgson has challenged his players to finish above local rivals Aston Villa for the first time since 1979.

Albion are 13th with four matches remaining, seven points ahead of 15th-placed Villa, who have a game in hand.

"That would definitely be the goal - to break what is neither a record or a hoodoo, but a fact of life that it's a long time to be below an important rival," Hodgson told wba.co.uk.

The game will Hodgson's first at Anfield since he left Liverpool in January 2011.

West Brom defender Jonas Olsson could return from a groin complaint to face the Reds, but striker Marc-Antoine Fortune remains doubtful with a hamstring problem.

Liverpool have won their last five Premier League home games against West Brom without conceding a single goal.

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