Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion go head to head in the West Midlands derby this weekend with both sides desperate to get back to winning ways.
The Baggies will be aiming to banish the painful memories from last season as Villa triumphed twice in a week to boost their survival hopes and book a place at Wembley at their rivals’ expense. The Villans meanwhile need a win to put their Leicester City nightmare to bed – after crumbling in 17 second-half minutes on Sunday to lose 3-2.
Despite being only five games into the new Premier League season, discontent is slowly rising among both sets of fans after registering a single win each so far. Villa fans are slowly growing frustrated with Tim Sherwood’s apparent tactical naivety while many Albion fans bemoan Tony Pulis’ safety-first brand of football.
But as Albion make the four-mile pilgrimage to Villa Park both managers will be acutely aware that a victory could kick-start their respective seasons. For Villa, it marks the start of an important week with a hotly anticipated Second City derby clash against Birmingham City coming three days later in the League Cup.
Key Battle – Joleon Lescott v Salomon Rondon
It will be a big game for both of these players with Joleon Lescott making his home debut for Villa against the club where he was voted Supporters’ Player of the Year last season. He will be marking Albion’s new Venezuelan target-man who has shown bright signs since his £12m switch from Zenit St Petersburg.
Early season form suggests Villa are likely to score during the game so this battle could be where the game is won or lost for both sides. Albion have scored just three goals in the opening five fixtures, but Lescott will need to call upon all of his experience to match the speed and agility of Rondon. The former Manchester City title-winning defender will fancy his chances of scoring at the other end however from Ashley Westwood’s floated set pieces.
Team News
Sherwood will be well aware that the team he started with at Leicester impressed for 70 minutes until the spectacular collapse. With that in mind, expect the same team to line-up for the derby giving them a chance to right the wrongs from last weekend.
Idrissa Gana Gueye is still suffering from a hamstring complaint, and the Villa boss will also assess Carles Gil, Adama Traore and Jose Crespo ahead of the clash. Liverpool loanee Tiago Llori impressed during 90 minutes for Villa’s U21s in the week but is still not ready for first-team action according to Sherwood.
Aston Villa Expected XI (4-2-3-1): Guzan (GK); Amavi, Lescott, Richards, Bacuna; Sanchez, Westwood; Grealish, Sinclair, Gil; Agbonlahor.
West Brom boss Pulis could be tempted to add strength to the midfield by replacing Callum McManaman with James McLean and Saido Berahino will also be pushing for a start. But with Pulis likely to play with one man up front, Rondon is expected to get the nod with Berahino an option from the bench later in the game.
If the Baggies do play with a five-man midfield, Rickie Lambert could make way for experienced James Morrison.
West Bromwich Albion Expected XI (4-5-1): Myhill (GK); Dawson, McAuley, Evans, Brunt; McLean, Fletcher, Yacob, Morrison, Gardner, Rondon.
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Head-to-Head
In 18 Premier League meetings between these two teams, eight have been draws and the ten wins have all been by a single goal margin (seven for Villa, three for West Brom). The great rivals have met 12 times in the FA Cup, with nine wins for the claret and blues and three for Albion.
Previous meeting
A night of unforgettable drama (two red cards and three pitch invasions) saw Villa book an FA Cup semi-final place with a 2-0 victory at Villa Park in front of a 39,592 crowd.
Prediction
History shows this tie is only ever settled by a single goal so expect another nervy affair with both sides desperate not to lose bragging rights so early in the season. Villa, though, are likely to come out of the traps firing after Sunday’s humiliation and that, coupled with the Baggies’ lack of creativity in the final third, could be enough to hand the Villans a much-needed home win.
Aston Villa 1–0 West Bromwich Albion
