Manchester United had been on their best run of the season with two home wins in a row, but it was prematurely halted by the international break. The Red Devils will now head to The Hawthorns with the hope of restarting that forward momentum, but West Bromwich Albion has already been a thorn on the sides of some big clubs this season, and won’t be an easy out at home.
As the Premier League resumes after the international break, get up to speed with this weekend’s action with our weekly EPL picks and predictions.
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West Bromwich Albion vs. Manchester United Betting Preview
Where: The Hawthorns, Birmingham, England
When: Monday, October 20, 3:00 PM ET
Line: Manchester United -180 at West Bromwich Albion +380, tie +285; total 3.0 – view all EPL lines
What’s at Stake
[sc:Soccer240banner ]If results go their way, a victory for West Brom will shoot them up to the top half of the Premier League standings.
As for Manchester United, their modest two-game winning streak is on the line. A third successive win – results permitting – would bring them to third in the table.
Betting on West Bromwich Albion
The beginning of the Alan Irvine era at West Brom has been a promising one. After winning just seven games (tied for the least in the league) in a relegation-threatened campaign last season, West Brom have won two of their first seven games – a very good away win at Tottenham and a 4-0 thrashing of newly-promoted Burnley – under Irvine.
In their last match before the international break, the Baggies turned in a very positive performance at Anfield against Liverpool, but were unlucky to come away with a 2-1 defeat. The loss snapped their three-game winning streak in all competitions.
Irvine bemoaned his side’s lack of belief to come up with the win, which may have been down to them playing in an intimidating ground like Anfield. Against Manchester United, though, West Brom will have the advantage of a home crowd that will be pushing them to take on what has so far been a vulnerable-looking United team.
Saido Berahino, who notched his fifth goal of the season from the penalty spot against Liverpool, is tied for second in the goalscoring charts and more than held his own against Liverpool’s central defenders. His physicality and work rate as the lone strike striker will be crucial for West Brom as they look to expose a United defense lacking in consistency and cohesion.
At the heart of West Brom’s own defense, goalkeeper Ben Foster and central defender Joleon Lescott have been very solid performers over the past few games. They’ll lead a defense that will have had the entire international break to prepare for the visit of United. Foster, a former United player, will have extra motivation to perform well against his old team.
Betting on Manchester United
The Louis van Gaal era endured a shakier start than anticipated, but things have since steadied along as United have won their last two games in a row to climb up to fourth in the table. However, the Red Devils are still yet to record an away win this season. The last time United played away from Old Trafford, they conspired to surrender a 3-1 lead to lose 5-3 at Leicester City.
United haven’t been all that solid at home either. They needed goalkeeper David de Gea to pull off some spectacular saves, as well as a penalty stop, to hold on to a 2-1 win against Everton last time out.
Despite the long break, van Gaal didn’t have the luxury of addressing the team’s issues with his players on the training pitch, as those who weren’t with their national teams were recuperating from injury. Young Paddy McNair was the latest one to go down with injury (to his hamstring), and is almost sure to miss the game against West Brom after starting the past two games.
Phil Jones is getting back to full fitness and could be set to take over McNair’s place in the starting lineup, but a combination of rust and unfamiliarity with Marcos Rojo doesn’t inspire too much confidence. Rojo could even be moved over to leftback if the injured Luke Shaw can’t get fit in time, which would push the United defense back to the same problems they had at the beginning of the season.
There are significantly fewer headaches for United up front, where the new big money signings are acclimating well to the Premier League. Angel Di Maria has already scored two goals and handed out three assists in his first five games, while striker Radamel Falcao fired home his first goal for the club in their 2-1 win over Eveton.
Captain Wayne Rooney will be serving up the second game of his three-game ban after his red card against West Ham, but Juan Mata is a capable stand-in. The Spanish playmaker has one goal and two assists in five appearances this season.
Writer’s Prediction
Manchester United’s old problems in defense spring back into full view as Berahino and West Brom capitalize. Take West Brom to bring down United at home. Create a betting account now to cash in on this and other upset opportunities on the Premier League season.
