Facts and figures for tomorrow's clash with the Red Devils (ko 3pm)
AFTER a resounding win over Sunderland last weekend and a closely fought Capital One Cup penalty shootout defeat to Arsenal in midweek, Albion face a difficult trip to Manchester United tomorrow (ko3pm).
But as the stattos over at WhoScored.com can attest, it is one of the best times to play David Moyes' side.
After a slow start to the season, proceedings as we have come to know them were resumed at The Hawthorns last weekend with a 3-0 thumping of the Black Cats in what turned out to be Paolo Di Canio's final game in charge.
It was an impressive and dominant performance from Steve Clarke's men, of the ilk that saw the Baggies achieve nine home wins and one of the best offensive home records in the Barclays Premier League last season.
Among the 13 home league games they remained unbeaten in was the final-day, record-breaking 5-5 draw with United in May.
That was the first time since United lost 6-1 at home to rivals City early on in the 2011/12 season that the Red Devils conceded so many goals, and the Baggies should certainly take confidence from that.
As is the case for so many of the top-flight teams, Old Trafford hasn't been the happiest of places for the Baggies.
However, as recently as 2010 the Baggies came back from two goals down at half time to rescue an incredibly impressive point against another of Sir Alex Ferguson's title-winning teams.
A regular feature in recent meetings between the sides has been Albion’s resistance after going behind. The Baggies have scored an equaliser in four of their last six clashes, highlighting a team spirit and belief that they can recover against even the very best.
One of those on the scoresheet in the 5-5 draw - the highest scoring draw in Premier League history - was Youssouf Mulumbu, who netted his side's fourth goal before also setting up the crucial fifth.
The DR Congo international is not exactly known for his goalscoring, but having averaged a strike every 10.2 Premier League appearances since moving to The Hawthorns, he is capable of popping up with a goal every so often and another might not be that far off.
Primarily used for his tireless running and invaluable screening of the defence, Mulumbu has made an incredible total of 558 tackles and interceptions since the start of his Barclays Premier League career in 2010; a tally that is only bettered by Liverpool's Lucas Leiva of all players in the top flight in that time.
With United's wealth of attacking talent, Mulumbu and Co. will have their hands full on tomorrow afternoon.
But with the Red Devils having conceded 11 goals in their last 6 Premier League outings - as many as they had shipped in their previous 18 - and the Baggies finding form themselves, there is certainly potential for an upset at Old Trafford.
*WhoScored.com is a unique website and one of the fastest growing in the sports industry, specialising in the in-depth analysis of detailed football data. Provided with unique stats, they compile and create comprehensive analysis on the major European divisions, including live match stats and player ratings. Follow @WhoScored and their editor-in-chief @alitweedale on Twitter.
All-time results record (League, FA Cup and League Cup)
Interesting facts
| PLD | W | D | L | F | A | GD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HOME | 61 | 28 | 14 | 19 | 114 | 95 | +16 |
| AWAY | 61 | 12 | 16 | 33 | 75 | 123 | -48 |
| NEUTRAL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| TOTAL | 122 | 40 | 30 | 52 | 189 | 221 | -32 |
Albion have not beaten United in 14 Barclays Premier League meetings, losing 11 and drawing three.
Last season's dramatic final-day clash saw Sir Alex Ferguson bow out in the only 5-5 draw ever recorded in the Barclays Premier League.
Albion have scored four or more goals against United on 13 different occasions, while the Red Devils have netted four against Albion 12 times.
The Baggies' last league win over United was a 2-0 success in March 1984, when Steve MacKenzie and Cyrille Regis scored.
The club's last league victory over the Red Devils at Old Trafford came in December 1978, when Tony 'Bomber' Brown bagged a double to add to Len Cantello, Laurie Cunningham and Regis goals.
This weekend marks the 50th anniversary of Brown's debut for Albion at Ipswich in 1963.
HOME: Barclays Premier League, Sunday, May 19, 2013, Albion 5 (Morrison 40, Lukaku, 50, 80, 86, Mulumbu 81) United 5 (Kagawa 6, Olsson og 9, Buttner 30, van Persie 53, Hernandez 63)
AWAY: Barclays Premier League, Saturday, December 29, 2012, United 2 (McAuley og 9, van Persie 90) Albion 0
Form guide (last six league matches)
ALBION: DLDLDW
UNITED: DWDLWL
Last league match line-ups
ALBION (v Sunderland – home W 3-0): Myhill; Jones, McAuley, Olsson, Ridgewell; Amalfitano, Mulumbu, Morrison, Sinclair (Yacob 68); Sessegnon (Berahino 89); Anelka (Anichebe 68). Subs not used: Camp (gk), Rosenberg, Lugano, Popov.
UNITED (v Man City - away L 4-1): De Gea; Smalling, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra; Valencia, Carrick, Fellaini, Young (Cleverley 52); Rooney; Welbeck. Subs not used: Amos (gk), Evans, Büttner, Kagawa, Nani, Hernandez.
Last cup match line-ups
ALBION: L Daniels; Reid (c), Dawson, Lugano, Popov; Berahino (Amalfitano 101), Mulumbu (Morrison 91), Dorrans, Sinclair; Sessegnon; Long (Rosenberg 91). Subs not used: Camp (gk), McAuley, J Olsson, Jones.
UNITED (v Liverpool - home W 1-0): De Gea; Rafael, Evans, Smalling, Büttner; Nani (Welbeck 90), P.Jones, Giggs, Kagawa (Januzaj 73); Rooney, Hernandez (Carrick 74). Subs not used: Amos (gk), Anderson, Fabio, Zaha.
United team news
Robin van Persie could face Albion but will face a late fitness test as he attempts to recover from the groin injury which saw him miss Sunday's defeat at Manchester City. Tom Cleverley missed Wednesday's Capital One Cup tie with Liverpool after picking up a knee injury in training - but is expected to be fit for tomorrow's game.
Ref watch
Michael Oliver will referee Saturday's game. The Northumberland official oversaw the 5-5 draw between the two sides in May. He has dished out no red and 14 yellow cards in four games this term.
Betting
Tickets
Listen to live match commentary on Albion Player
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Betting
Selected odds from Sky Bet:
Albion to win: 10/1
United to win: 30/100
Draw: 4/1
Nicolas Anelka to score first: 11/1
Robin van Persie to score first: 11/4
If you fancy a flutter with the club's official online betting partner, click here.
Tickets
Tickets for this game are no longer available.
Listen to live match commentary on Albion Player
Can't get to Old Trafford? Tune in to Albion Player's live, full-match commentary from 2pm. To sign up and listen, click here.
Follow our live matchday blog
Keep up to speed with all the matchday action and interact with fellow fans on our FREE blog from 2pm.
So, if you can't make it to the game, click here to join in the fun, and post your comments?