Slaven Bilić’s Baggies will be hoping to record their second consecutive Premier League victory when Crystal Palace visit The Hawthorns on Sunday lunchtime (ko 12 noon).
Albion secured a 1-0 win over Sheffield United last Saturday and will want to bag another three points this coming weekend.
Crystal Palace
Their last time out
Palace go into this weekend's game off the back of two defeats after being edged out by Burnley and Newcastle United.
The south London outfit produced one of their best displays of the campaign after defeating Leeds 4-1 prior to the international break. And the Eagles will be hoping to replicate that level of performance to turn their recent bad run of results around.
In the dugout
Albion fans will know Palace boss Roy Hodgson all too well after his impressive spell at The Hawthorns between 2011-12.
The experienced manager replaced Roberto di Matteo in February, 2011 and guided the Baggies to their highest top-flight finish in three decades by securing 11th spot.
Hodgson’s efforts in the West Midlands led to him being appointed as England boss in 2012, but he finished the season in the Black Country to secure another milestone.
At the end of the 2011/12 campaign, Albion recorded their highest Premier League standing since 1981 under Hodgson by finishing in 10th place. And the former Baggies boss continued to break records at boyhood club Palace after taking over in 2017 - leading them to their highest top-flight points total (49) in 2019.
One to watch
The Baggies will remember the ability of Eberechi Eze following last season’s finale against QPR.
Eze signed for fellow London outfit Crystal Palace this summer after enjoying a standout campaign at QPR last year. The tricky midfielder netted a brilliant goal to unsettle a few nerves on the final day and peg back Albion’s advantage to 2-2.
Although that didn’t halt the Baggies from returning to the Premie League, they will be wary of the capabilities the 22-year-old possesses this weekend.
Our last meeting
Albion’s last Premier League meeting with Palace at The Hawthorns ended goalless in December, 2017. But they were on the right end of a five-goal thriller in February, 2016 thanks to goals from Craig Gardner, Craig Dawson and Saido Berahino.
Stats
Albion
- The Baggies have lost just one of their last five Premier League home clashes with the Eagles (W2, D2, L1).
- Albion are the third-highest, level with Spurs, Brighton and Wolves for hitting the woodwork this season (six).
- Slaven Bilić’s only previous meeting with Roy Hodgson ended in a 2-2 draw between Palace and West Ham in October, 2017 with Bilić’s side being pegged back after leading through two first-half goals.
Crystal Palace
- The South London outfit aren’t goal-shy on their travels to the Black Country, having netted two goals in three of their last five visits.
- Roy Hodgson’s side have kept just one Premier League clean sheet this season.
- Palace have also been dispossessed the most out of any team in the league this term (130 instances).
Head to head
| Albion wins | Draw | Palace wins | |
| League | 22 | 15 | 17 |
| FA Cup | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| League Cup | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 23 | 15 | 19 |
Our one to watch
Matheus Pereira pulled the strings in Albion’s last game at The Hawthorns and he will be hoping to have a similar impact this weekend.
The Brazilian was pivotal during last Saturday’s triumph. In his free role, the midfielder dictated the Baggies’ attacking play, picked passes and was key in setting Albion away on the counter-attack.
And the Albion faithful will hope the 25-year-old can have a similar impact on proceedings against the Eagles on Sunday.
Read all about it
Sunday’s game features a special edition of Albion News which supports charity Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces movement.
A column from Proud Baggies features along with Slaven Bilić, Jake Livermore and Kyle Bartley featuring with columns in this week’s Albion News plus an exclusive interview with Filip Krovinović. Secure your copy for the Palace game here.
Follow the game
Gez Mulholland will be joined by once midfield-now-microphone maestro Andy Johnson to provide proudly partisan commentary and an expert insight for WBA Radio.
To listen live to Baggies-biased commentary on WBA Radio for free for every home and away match during the 2020/21 season all you have to do is sign up for a free My Albion account.
If you haven't already you can create your My Albion account here. Click Create Account or register quickly with your Facebook or Google account.
Live commentary starts from 15 minutes before kick-off and will be accessible through the live match centre or WBA TV.
If you have any issues registering or accessing your My Albion account please contact myalbion@wbafc.co.uk.
The game is also available to watch on Sky Sports.