West Bromwich v Aston Villa

West Bromwich and Aston Villa square off for week 36 of the English Premier League. The game kicks off at the Hawthorns on April 28, 15:00 GMT.

Teams News

West Bromwich

The Baggies continue to strut their way into the hearts of EPL supporters by consistently providing exciting performances that perplex even top-notch defenses. Case in point: last week the team dismantled the Reds at Anfield, escaping with a 1-nil win via a late Peter Odemwingie goal. Arguably, this would have not been easily the case a year back; West Brom is certainly a different team than now, and it looks like Roy Hodgson has once again evoked his managerial magic from deep within.

Odemwingie’s goal against Liverpool last weekend was his 10th of the season. The 30-year old Nigerian has been a key factor in his team’s push for a mid-table spot at the end of the season. What is more astounding however, is the fact that the team already features no less than 15 goal-scorers. That is more than half of the total team roster, with goals coming from virtually all positions in the field.

Aston Villa

Aston Villa threw a one-goal lead late in the game in their last game to hand Bolton hopes for relegation salvation in the coming weeks. The game, which featured three goals in as many minutes, saw Villa take the lead via a 61st Stephen Warnock goal before conceding a Martin Petrov penalty and a David Ngog goal two minutes after. Although the consequences may have to wait for another week before making themselves apparent, it must be said that Villa’s loss to Bolton puts them just 3 points away from the first relegation spot.

The loss to Bolton also marks Villa’s worst season in the club’s history in terms of home games. They only have four wins at Villa Park to show to date. Alex MacLeish is now under immense pressure to save his team on the road, or face the dire reality of relegation. That is of course if the manager keeps his job for the remainder of the season.

West Bromwich v Aston Villa Betting Preview

With only two games to go, Villa cannot afford to drop points. But they must beat themselves first; Villa’s current form is one of the worst in the league, with only 3 points in the last six games. They have not won since March 3rd this year, conceding 15 goals while only scoring 6 since then.

WBA are far better in terms of form, and it is quite difficult to see them lose this one. Their last few games against top oppositions have been horrendous to say the least, but they do get the job done against other mid-table teams, and with narrow scorelines at that. Expect the Baggies to win all three points at home, and the scoreline to stay at a conservative level.

Betting Tip

Verdict: West Bromwich 2, Aston Villa 0.

Tip: West Brom are tipped to win 2-0 at 9/1. As mentiond, Roy Hodgson’s players have the ability to score, but with their lengthy list of injured personnel, the shortlist got shorter. Peter Odemwingie or Shane Long are staked to score anytime at 7/5.

All odds are from Bet365.com (£200 FREE BET!).