West Brom climbed to the top half of the table with a 3:2 win at St James Park, and the Baggies will be looking to record their third straight victory when they host Manchester City. Roberto Mancini’s side remained at the Premiership summit with the comfortable win over Stoke, but they need to beat West Brom as well in order to keep their advantage over Manchester United.

West Brom going strong

It looks as though West Bromwich managed to complete the transition from relegation strugglers to genuine mid table side, and they’ve got Roy Hodgson to thank for that. The experienced manager may have failed at Anfield, but he’s enjoyed a lot of success with smaller sides like Fulham and West Brom, and he proved his worth this season as well. The Baggies did start the season with three straight defeats, but quickly recovered and have now returned to where they belong with back to back wins over Blackburn and Newcastle. The return of Peter Odemwingie certainly helped the team improve their scoring form, as the Baggies have now bagged at least one goal in every one of their last six matches. Having also conceded in every one of their last nine games, West Brom’s back line are in for a difficult task against the best attack in the league.

Steven Reid has been ruled out for a month, whereas James Morrison, Youssouf Mulumbu and Jerome Thomas are all doubtful.

Nine out of nine at Etihad

Roberto Mancini recently rued the fact that City had mere two points more than their title rivals despite winning 14 of 17 Premier League games this season, and it is clear that the Citizens cannot afford to relax if they want to enjoy a successful title bid this season. City managed to recover from the first league defeat of the campaign to record back to back wins over Arsenal and Stoke, extending their winning run at Etihad Stadium to nine games. After winning five out of first six away games this season, City could take just one point from away games against Liverpool and Chelsea, so the game against West Brom is a perfect opportunity to improve on their record on the travels. Having scored no less than 25 goals in 8 away games, City should have no problems scoring a couple at Hawthorns as well.

Edin Dzeko is doubtful with an ankle problem, whereas Aleksandar Kolarov remains sidelined. Micah Richards should be able to shake off his calf injury to start this game.

Verdict

West Brom are one of just few mid table sides not afraid to attack any of the title rivals, and boosted by the valuable wins over Blackburn and Newcastle, the Baggies are going to try and take the game to City. Roberto Mancini’s side desperately need a win on order to remain at the top of the standings, so everything suggests we will see a very open game.

Our prediction: Over 3.5 goals

Odds: 2.62 (13/8)

Bookmaker: Stan James