Man Utd vs West Brom-FA Premier League-Kick-off-16:00-SkySp Pl/MainEv

Bret Hart

TEAM NEWS

Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku is expected to play after overcoming a sickness bug.

Back-up goalkeeper Sergio Romero remains injured, but defenders Phil Jones and Daley Blind have both trained this week and are available.

Ex-United defender Jonny Evans is a doubt for West Brom with a knee injury.

Nacer Chadli and Sam Field are in contention, having played for the under-23 side earlier this week, while Daniel Sturridge is also available.

WHAT THE MANAGERS SAY

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho: "I am, I am surprised [to see West Brom in the relegation zone]. The quality, the experience of many of the players, the squad and the stability of the past years, it is a surprise for me that they find themselves in this position.

"I think it is a big challenge because they know that in football anything is possible until mathematically impossible. They know that, everybody knows.

"They still smell a chance but every match that is played if they don't get points then they are closer to relegation, but I think they still believe."

West Brom first-team coach Darren Moore: "We can't stop the talk around the club... there is still games to be played. It is all about the next fixture. We'll keep fighting, we'll keep planning and preparing as best as we possibly can and remain focused."

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head

West Brom have won three of the nine Premier League matches against Manchester United since Sir Alex Ferguson retired as United manager (D2, L4).

Of those three Baggies wins, two came at Old Trafford: 2-1 in September 2013 and 1-0 in May 2015.

United are looking to complete the league double over the Baggies for the first time since the 2011-12 season.

Manchester United

Manchester United have 71 points, which is already the most the Red Devils have managed across a single season since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.

United have won their last five league matches. It's their best sequence of results since a run of six victories between December 2016 and January 2017.

They have fallen behind in three of those five games but recovered to claim victory on each occasion.

United have kept a league-high 16 clean sheets this season with 11 of those coming in home fixtures.

They have only ever lost one Premier League game at Old Trafford to a side that began the day bottom of the table, to Blackburn in December 2011.

Romelu Lukaku scored a hat-trick for the Baggies in a 5-5 draw against United in 2013, which was Ferguson's last fixture in charge.

West Bromwich Albion

West Brom have taken just two points from the last 30 available to them (D2, L8).

They are winless in their last 15 Premier League away games, losing 11 and drawing four.

All of their seven away league points have come against teams that began the day in the top half of the table.

They have dropped a league-high 26 points from winning positions this season.

The Baggies have scored just 26 Premier League goals in 2017-18, the same total Manchester United have registered in the first half in games alone.

Prediction : 1-0

rekluse

Hope we really let of the shackles today and hammer them after the momentum gained from last week, but I fear this could be another turgid affair. Will go for a drab 2-0 , Lukaku and Sanchez.

Demosthenese

It promises to be a horrible game played by 2 teams with little or no interest in the rest of the season. Better off watching the dog run around the garden.

United 4-0

pjohnson

Demosthenese wrote: »

It promises to be a horrible game played by 2 teams with little or no interest in the rest of the season. Better off watching the dog run around the garden.

United 4-0

Pics of said dog or GTFO

Demosthenese

http://bangka.tribunnews.com/2018/01/25/alexis-sanchez-dandani-2-anjingnya-dengan-jersey-manchester-united

Bret Hart

Manchester United XI: De Gea,Valencia,Lindelof, Smalling,Young,Herrera,Matic,Pogba,Mata,Alexis,Lukaku.

Subs: J. Pereira,Jones,Rojo,Lingard, McTominay,Martial,Rashford.


West Brom XI: Foster,Nyom, Dawson,Hegazi,Gibbs,Phillips,Livermore,Brunt,McClean,Rondon,Rodriguez

Subs: Yacob,Myhill,Sturridge,Gabr Mossad, Burke,Krychowiak,Field

Lucas Hood

Clear penalty on Herrera there.

Then misses a foul on Rodriguez by Lindelof . Ref not having a great game.

Harry Palmr

Nor is Mourinho, WBA will rue a few good chances spurned

KERSPLAT!

There ya go. 1-0 West Brom

niallo27

Just said I'd pop in how's the game going.

Turtyturd

Think that’ll wake United up.

KERSPLAT!

niallo27 wrote: »

Just said I'd pop in how's the game going.

Pretty well...

Unearthly

Turtyturd wrote: »

Think that’ll wake United up.

No, it takes 2 nil these days

Harry Palmr

Well if that doesn't light a fire under Utd nothing will, to officially seal City's title at home to by far the worst side in the league would be an utterly shamming experience

the incredible pudding

Hegazi has been brilliant

monkey9

So, a week after denying City the title, Man U hand it to them anyway with barely a whimper. How very neighbourly of them. And in a touching tribute, the stadium emptied out late on to leave plenty of empty seats on show.

Harry Palmr

Flipping hilarious

bucketybuck

And still certain people will wax lyrical about those players and how it would be a disgrace to move them on.

Yet another one of those games where it didn't matter what way the deckchairs were arranged, the players weren't arsed and that was that.

Paul Pogba and his merry band of instagrammers can **** right off as far as I am concerned.

Bret Hart

At least this didn't happen last week. So that's one positive in Utd season.

Mr.H

Another corner turned by united today I see. Back to the start it is. Queue the "we haven't spent enough" excuse by pulis

mikeym

I will be happy to see West Brom and Stoke go down.

StringerBell

Much better way for City to win the league altogether. Cowardly performance from the players constantly playing safe and into WBA hands slowly passing around in front of them. Not trying to break the lines with runs often enough.

Pogba probably wouldn't have come off but for the yellow card and the risk of him getting sent off but he didn't do a whole lot to justify his position on the pitch anyway, slow, always looking for that extra touch before releasing the ball. His passing stats are good of course but when you are passing the ball sideways and backwards that tends to be the case. The telling balls he tried to play other then the deflected one that ran into Lukakus path all went astray from what I can remember. The handball and how funny he found that sums him up really.

Lukaku missed chances, Martial missed chances, should have had a penalty etc etc but its all the one really, home to the team bottom of the league and couldn't manage a goal. Players harping on last week about how they couldn't let City the win the title like that, and that drove them on to the second half performance. Didn't seem to last long in their memory, they obviously think a defeat for us at home to West Brom is a better way for City to be crowned champions too I suppose.

Overall it doesn't really matter and it isn't exactly something new with this group so I can't say I'm overly surprised. Quite typical really to beat the likes of Chelsea and City and then lose to dross like that. Be nice of them to turn up properly with some intent for the Cup game, considering its the only thing that matters.

threein99

Bret Hart wrote: »

At least this didn't happen last week. So that's one positive in Utd season.

The one positive from this season for me is that it will be over in 5 games time

threein99

StringerBell wrote: »

Much better way for City to win the league altogether. Cowardly performance from the players constantly playing safe and into WBA hands slowly passing around in front of them. Not trying to break the lines with runs often enough.

Pogba probably wouldn't have come off but for the yellow card and the risk of him getting sent off but he didn't do a whole lot to justify his position on the pitch anyway, slow, always looking for that extra touch before releasing the ball. His passing stats are good of course but when you are passing the ball sideways and backwards that tends to be the case. The telling balls he tried to play other then the deflected one that ran into Lukakus path all went astray from what I can remember. The handball and how funny he found that sums him up really.

Lukaku missed chances, Martial missed chances, should have had a penalty etc etc but its all the one really, home to the team bottom of the league and couldn't manage a goal. Players harping on last week about how they couldn't let City the win the title like that, and that drove them on to the second half performance. Didn't seem to last long in their memory, they obviously think a defeat for us at home to West Brom is a better way for City to be crowned champions too I suppose.

Overall it doesn't really matter and it isn't exactly something new with this group so I can't say I'm overly surprised. Quite typical really to beat the likes of Chelsea and City and then lose to dross like that. Be nice of them to turn up properly with some intent for the Cup game, considering its the only thing that matters.

I think last weeks performance was a freak result. I think we have 5 shots on target and scored 3, the scoreline should have been about 9-3

StringerBell

threein99 wrote: »

I think last weeks performance was a freak result. I think we have 5 shots on target and scored 3, the scoreline should have been about 9-3

Credit where its due, the 45 minute second half performance last week won the game and it was deserved, Pogba played with a fire we very rarely see from him and others stepped up too.

Those performances have just been too few and far between is the problem. Of course we could have been dead and buried by half time.

threein99

StringerBell wrote: »

Credit where its due, the 45 minute second half performance last week won the game and it was deserved, Pogba played with a fire we very rarely see from him and others stepped up too.

Those performances have just been too few and far between is the problem. Of course we could have been dead and buried by half time.

It was much better than the first half, they tried which they didn't in the first half. But City hit the bar and post, had a clear pen turned away and De Gea made a wonder save all in the second half. Add all that to the chances missed in the first half and I think 9-3 would be fairly close.