ALBION host Aston Villa under the lights at The Hawthorns on Friday evening (ko 8pm).
The opposition
Villa currently sit eighth in the Sky Bet Championship table having collected 31 points from their 20 games so far this season.
Since appointing Dean Smith as manager in October following the departure of Steve Bruce, they have won five, drawn one and lost two of the eight fixtures that the former Walsall and Brentford boss has taken charge of.
Last time out
The most recent meeting between the sides was a 0-0 draw at The Hawthorns back in January 2016.
Earlier that season Albion had won the reverse fixture at Villa Park 1-0 thanks to Saido Berahino’s goal.
Stats
Albion
- Darren Moore’s side are currently four unbeaten, collecting 10 points from a possible 12.
- Harvey Barnes, who netted his eighth goal of the season on Monday night, has already scored more in his time with Albion (21 appearances) than he did during loan spells at Barnsley (played 25, scored five) and MK Dons (played 21, scored six).
- The Baggies have won two and drawn four of their last six Hawthorns clashes with Villa.
Aston Villa
- Villa are unbeaten in their last five Championship matches (P5, W4, D1).
- Friday night sees the two highest scorers in the division go up against each other, with Albion having netted 42 goals to Villa’s 39.
- Forward Tammy Abraham, who is on loan from Chelsea, has notched 10 goals in his last 10 games.
From the archive
Here are the highlights from Albion’s last Hawthorns win over Villa…
Head to head
Villa come out on top in the overall head-to-head record.
Of the 167 matches that have been played, Albion have triumphed 54 times, there have been 36 draws and Villa have won on 77 occasions.
Man in the middle
The referee for Monday evening’s match is Darren England, and he’ll be assisted by Matt Foley and Nick Greenhalgh - with David Webb as the fourth official.
England has taken charge of two Albion games this season; the 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest and the 4-1 win over Reading.
Ticket news
This game is now a complete sell-out.
Albion supporters will not be able to access the area directly behind the Smethwick End’s away section on Friday evening.
The walkway to the rear of A Block, including the Middlemore Road ramp, can be used only by Aston Villa fans in possession of a match ticket.
Baggies fans who normally use this route to access and exit the stadium are asked to make alternative arrangements.
Follow the game
Comprehensive coverage of the clash with Villa is available in our Match Centre, where you can listen to live commentary on WBA Radio or follow our live text feed.
WBA Radio is the only service that allows Baggies fans around the world - from Smethwick to the Sahara - access to uninterrupted live commentaries from every one of our competitive games. iFollow subscribers can join Gez Mulholland and Dave Bowler for Baggies-biased live commentary on Friday.
International supporters who have an iFollow subscription may be able to live stream the game depending on where they are located around the world. To find out, click here.
You’ll also be able to find score updates on the club's social media channels.
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