Manchester City eyeing top spot
West Bromwich Albion welcome Manchester City to the Hawthorns on Tuesday during the Prems gameweek 20. West Brom will be desperate to gain ground on 17th placed Brighton and exit the relegation zone whilst City, given they win, will occupy 1st place.
West Bromwich
The Baggies find themselves in quite the precarious situation after what has so far been an abysmal campaign. West Brom have only managed two wins in nineteen outings whilst drawing five and losing twelve(!), stats that definitely warrant relegation. There is however still time to turn things around as stranger things have without a doubt happened.
No Big Sam effect in sight
The appointment of Big Sam was more than likely decided upon in order to shore up West Brom's defence as well as making them play a much more simple and direct brand of football, however, the desired effect has yet to come to life. Under his management, the Baggies have scored five but have conceded fifteen in six outings, stats that are not exactly welcomed when facing off against the likes of Manchester City.
West Brom may very well turn their fortunes around but doing so against the sky blues is a hard ask.
Manchester City
The Citizens are on an incredibly strong run of form that has somewhat flown under the radar, however, it is all but surprising. If City emerge victorious on Tuesday, they will be top of the table, albeit with a single point, but top none the less.
Fantastic form
Pep's men have won eight of their last ten games with the other two ending in draws whilst managing the goal difference of 21-2 which is nothing short of astonishing. They may not be as free-scoring as in previous seasons but they are however more defensively astute, a trait that is heavily regarded as the most important in regards to winning titles.
Shift of focus
Furthermore, it is no fluke City are scoring slightly less but also conceding less as the first half of the first half of the season resulted in too many conceded goals prompting Pep to change things up, focusing more on their defensive shape.
If City perform as they usually do, Tuesday's game should be nothing more than a minor bump in the road.
Betting tip
The sky blues have been magnificent as of late whilst West Brom have been anything but, which is why i will be backing a Manchester City (1) handicap win at 1.55 with Betway.
For those that want slightly better odds, a Manchester City win and both teams to score - no at 1.87 presents great value as well.
