Saturday’s final roll of the dice finds West Bromwich Albion colliding with Crystal Palace at The Hawthorns – an encounter that, on paper, looks set to be a battle of attrition.
The hosts will be emboldened by their win over Everton last Gameweek, while the visitors are in the midst of a nine-match winless streak.
The Baggies were one of the league’s most impotent sides over the last four Gameweeks, ranking joint-bottom for goals (two), bottom for attempts (33) and bottom for shots on target (seven). Moreover, only Manchester City posted a worse shot accuracy (20.3%) than the West Midlanders (21.2%). On a more positive note, Tony Pulis’ unit proved hard to beat, conceding the joint-second-fewest goals (two) while recording two cleans sheets.
The Eagles netted one goal per match across the previous four Gameweeks – a poor return when you consider that they were at home for three of those fixtures. The Londoners’ defence failed to hold up their end of the bargain, too, conceding eight goals and the joint-fourth-most big chances (eight). That being said, Alan Pardew will be heartened in the knowledge that Palace chart bottom for big chances conceded in away matches (10) this term.
