West Bromwich vs Wolverhampton - Premier League

West Bromwich Albion vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
Premier League : 8. Round
Date : 16. October 2011 - 12:00 GMT
Stadium : The Hawthorns (West Bromwich / England)

The Black Country derby takes place this Sunday as Wolves travel to the Hawthorns to play West Brom. Roy Hodgson has steadied the ship since a tough start to the season against Manchester United, Chelsea and Stoke left the Baggies pointless after three games; Mick McCarthy will feel he needs to do the same at Wolves after four consecutive defeats.

The equivalent game last season ended in a 1-1 draw, but the Albion required a 90th minute Carlos Vela goal to secure that result, and fared rather worse in a 3-1 defeat at Molineux. Vela didn't make his stay at West Brom a permanent one, but Hodgson's signing of Shane Long has proved more than an adequate replacement. Long and Odemwingie are likely to be the main threats to Wolves' defence, but in Steven Fletcher and Kevin Doyle they have two hard working strikers capable of doing some threatening of their own.

Injuries to Chris Brunt and Zoltan Gera may strip West Brom of some of their creativity in midfield, while Wolves' concerns are more likely to be defensive with Foley, Craddock and Stearman not fully fit. With West Brom's last four Premier League goals all coming in the first five minutes of games, perhaps they will be able to take a makeshift Wolves defence unaware; with only two defeats in their last eleven competitive games against their rivals, local pride is at stake.

Head to Head :
Last Meeting : 8. May 2011 Wolverhampton Wanderers 3 - 1 West Bromwich Albion
Wins West Bromwich Albion : 39
Wins Wolverhampton Wanderers : 43
Draws : 36

Recent Performance :
West Bromwich Albion : Win / Lose / Lose / Draw / Draw
Wolverhampton Wanderers : Lose / Lose / Win / Lose / Lose

Possible Line-Ups :
West Bromwich Albion : Carson - Olsson, Reid, Shorey, Méité, Morrison, Tchoyi, Brunt, Mulumbu, Scharner, Fortuné.
Wolverhampton Wanderers : Hennessey - Stearman, Ward, Johnson, Berra, Henry, Hunt, Jarvis, Fletcher, Doyle.

Betting Tip/Prediction :
The Black Country derby takes place this Sunday as Wolves travel to the Hawthorns to play West Brom.
Our prediction : Draw