Forget our attacking prowess for a brief moment…at home, West Bromwich Albion have to overcome & penetrate a defence that has only conceded 4 league goals in 9 games (and not many in other competitions either) - something we so-very-often have to contend with on ‘home soil’ ourselves!
The Baggies too have a reputation for being ‘steely’ and 'hard to break down' and do, indeed themselves, have the joint-6th-best league defence going into this game; leaking "just" 10 from 9 outings.
Could be a case of, 'who blinks first'…
Brief word on last Tuesday night.
In addition to all that has been happening
of late with family illness issues and just before a much-needed holiday; I
woke up on Tuesday morning with a sore throat that soon developed into a
'seasonal cold'.
I made it to - and through - work but by
8:00pm on Tuesday night, I was nodding off and only discovered the City score on Wednesday
morning! Well into my cold by then; through blurry eyes on Wednesday morning I saw on TV…
·
0-0 at full time
·
0-0 at extra time
·
Eventual 4-1 winners with the
bizarre ABBA penalty-taking rule
·
Some controversy about Pep and some of the City players moaning about the
flight / weight / shape / size or whatever of the ball used in the League Cup (or on the night at least)?
·
And that the referee had
wrongly allowed us to use too many subs in extra time; another crazy rule change in the League Cup that went
wrong at the time (and
for Arsenal’s game too, with rumours also that we
might have to play the tie all over again)!
I heard also that…
·
Most of the rest were average
at best; with quite a number of players producing poor performances, which
was confirmed on Wednesday from a report I got from one of my mates who was
there on the night.
So, assuming we DON’T have to have
a replay against Wolves, we had an ‘off night’ and yet-still managed a clean
sheet in open play and progressed into the quarter finals of the first 'trophy
target' of the season.
v West
Bromwich Albion
 |
| The Hawthorns |
Brief, basic one is this – I am preparing
to head off on holiday Saturday morning…
Predicted line-up, subs and outcome:
(Number correct
from starting line-up in the last game: 9/11 in the League Cup).
Fluid 4-4-1-1:
___________________Aguero____________________
____________________Jesus____________________
___________________Ederson____________________
Brief word…
Back to a more ‘familiar 11’ following
mid-week’s game and, I think, a slight change in formation from the Fluid 4-5-1 / 4-3-3
we’ve seen of late with, instead,
more of a 4-4-1-1 with 2 strikers.
Another quick note is that Tosin, I
think, might get rewarded for a decent performance in midweek with a spot
on the bench…equally Eliaquim might ‘sit this one out’
altogether after a dodgy display, by all accounts, on Tuesday night.
Having said all of that, I’m releasing this Blog
posting before any pre-match press conference so there’s more room for error
than usual…
Notable absences: Benjamin Mendy (injured
long-term), Vincent Kompany (injured) & Eliaquim Mangala (Not selected).
Do I agree with Pep’s (predicted) line-up?
Yep…we might need that
formation / personnel to break ‘em down BUT Gabriel & Sergio might also have to help out by ‘tracking
back’ if our hosts ‘pack the midfield’.
Result? Could
be a game of chess but I think it'll be one where we’ll see
their ‘king fall’ in the end.
Last season’s,
corresponding pre-match prediction and result…
Prediction: Win
Result: Win
Expected weather conditions during
the game: A fairly brisk, Westerly breeze at the highest ground in the Premier League but a decent day otherwise - dry and some sunshine with temperatures at around 55F. A light coat and shades I would say for all fans...
Announcement: There’ll be no pre-match Blog posting
before the Napoli game in midweek as I’ll be away (hoping to
watch it somewhere though) AND there might
not be time to release a pre-Arsenal one either, after I get back a-week-on-Saturday.
