Preview: West Brom v Manchester United
Scene-setter: Manchester United travel to West Bromwich Albion high on confidence after recording four successive wins in all competitions and going level on points with rivals Manchester City in the race for the top four. Juan Mata’s late free-kick
against Watford on Wednesday night has reignited belief that a strong end to the season could lift the Reds into the Champions League qualification places.
Form guide: Louis van Gaal claimed his first victory against West Brom in three attempts earlier this season with a 2-0 victory at Old Trafford on 7 November.
Jesse Lingard scored his first United goal in that game and has since gone on to notch a total of four strikes in 11 Barclays Premier League matches, in an impressive breakthrough season. The Reds failed to beat the Baggies last season, drawing 2-2 at The Hawthorns and losing 1-0 at home due to a Jonas Olsson strike. West Brom are in decent league form, drawing 2-2 at leaders Leicester City last time out and winning their two games before that, against Everton and Crystal Palace.
Latest team news:
Chris Smalling could make his return from a shoulder injury on Sunday after missing the midweek game, while there could also be possible returns for
Marouane Fellaini and
Antonio Valencia. However,
Wayne Rooney,
Phil Jones,
Cameron Borthwick-Jackson,
Ashley Young and
Bastian Schweinsteiger are all expected to miss out.
Luke Shaw is continuing his rehabilitation and
Will Keane has undergone surgery on his groin. Van Gaal will provide an update on the fitness of his players in his press conference on Friday. West Brom will be without Chris Brunt, who is set to be sidelined for six months with a knee injury. United old boy Jonny Evans may return to the starting line-up after missing the last two games but James Morrison and Callum McManaman are doubtful.
View from the dressing room: "In the Premier League, you never know what can happen in the next game. We have to be prudent and we have to be humble, and we have to go now to West Brom, who drew with the leaders in the table, so it won’t be easy. But when you are Man United, you have to learn to win these kind of games.” –
Ander Herrera after United beat Watford.
Opposition manager: West Brom boss
Tony Pulis is a figure many fans of the Premier League will recognise. After guiding Stoke City successfully into the top division in the 2007/08 season, during his second spell in charge, he established the Potters as a steady mid-table team for five years. Following his exit from the Britannia Stadium, he joined Crystal Palace for a short stint during 2012/13 and guided the Eagles away from the relegation places. He has been in charge of his current club for a little over a year and has once again steadied the ship, with top-flight safety almost certain for the West Midlands outfit.
Danger man:
Jose Salomon Rondon is West Brom’s joint-top scorer this season with seven goals after his club-record transfer from Zenit St. Petersburg. The burly striker has been a constant threat to defences this season, more often than not utilising his immense size to overpower his opponents.
Sub-plots: United could possibly line up against four former players on Sunday, with Darren Fletcher, Ben Foster, James Chester and the aforementioned Evans all in contention for the game.
Rivals watch: Second-placed Tottenham Hotspur host third-placed Arsenal in the north London derby in the early kick-off on Saturday. Manchester City are at home to rock-bottom Aston Villa before leaders Leicester City travel to Watford for the evening game.
Referee: Mike Dean will be the official taking charge of Sunday’s encounter. This will be his fourth time refereeing the Reds this season after games against
Aston Villa away (0-1),
West Brom at home (2-0) and
Newcastle United away (3-3).
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