Battle of the sharp shooters
Barely a week passes without attaching ‘big game’ to an upcoming Championship fixture. Saturday tea-time serves up another with free-scoring West Brom entertaining fellow sharp shooters, Sheffield United.
West Brom
The painful days of watching the stifling style of forgettable football under Tony Pulis are long gone for West Brom fans who are loving life under one of their own.
The Baggies are signing to the tune of club legend Darren Moore now of course. It defies logic that Moore, a tough, no nonsense centre back in his playing days, has abandoned his natural instincts for the polar opposite as a manager.
But the ‘we’ll score one more than you’ philosophy is working wonders both on and off the pitch with Moore making light work of his first gig in the dugout.
Reward only comes with an element of risk
Not only has he kept West Brom in the hunt for an instant return to the big-time, he’s done so playing a brand of vibrant and attacking football to delight the fans too.
You only have to look at the midweek result as evidence of how Moore’s entertainers go about things. They went ahead against QPR twice, only to be pegged back twice. But reward only comes with an element of risk and West Brom persisted with their positive attitude to edge a five-goal thriller with the last kick of the game.
Rarely is there a dull moment following West Brom these days and the division’s top scorers (67 goals in 33 games) will be boosted further by the return of Dwight Gayle who returns from suspension. He’s expected to link-up with partner in crime Jay Rodriguez up top, the pair accounting for almost 50% of West Brom’s goal tally this term.
Sheffield United
The Blades were fancied to post nothing more than a mid-table finish at best this term. But Chris Wilder obviously had other plans with Sheffield United firmly in the mix for automatic promotion.
How’s he done it? Again, like their hosts, a forward thinking brand of football that is only going to result in the scoring of goals. Their total of 58 is the third highest in the league.
Clearly, having the ultimate poacher in Billy Sharp among the ranks helps your cause. His tally of 22 this season, 11 of which have been openers, has helped him become the leading goalscorer in English League football this century - quite the personal achievement.
The numbers suggest Sharp’s influence cannot be underestimated on this team and it was a surprise to see the 32-year old rested for last weekend’s visit of Reading.
United have a set of strikers the envy of the league
But, following a fruitful January transfer window, Wilder has genuine depth in his striking options meaning he could afford to leave his leading marksman and sidekick David McGoldrick - 11 goals this term - as unused substitutes.
The responsibility for scoring goals instead fell on the shoulders of on loan signings Gary Madine and Scott Hogan, with the former delivering two goals and Hogan also impressing as the Blades run out comfortable 4-0 winners in what was a manager’s dream for Wilder.
United have a set of strikers the envy of the league but expect normal order to be restored for this top-of-the-table clash with well rested pair, Sharp and McGoldrick, leading the line and eager to get among the goals again.
Betting tip
The significance of this game cannot be underestimated. That’s not to say the teams will hold back and shelf their attacking principles, far from it in fact.
Both starting line-ups possess strikers who are born to score but even if Gayle or Sharp aren’t among the scoresheet, there’s enough talent in other areas of the field to make a strong claim for both teams to score.
Nick’s tip: BTTS @ 4/6 (1.67) with Coral.
Good luck!
