newcastle vs west brom

A Newcastle side in great form take on a West Bromwich side that are giving it their all to hold on to a paper thin slither of hope of avoiding relegation. They are eight points adrift of the safety zone now, with just nine points left to play for.
West Bromwich still have a theoretical chance of staying up, and no one can accuse them of not giving it a decent try. Three games without defeat may be too little too late, but it will surely give hard-tried ‘Baggies’ fans some pride after eight defeats on the bounce in the Premier League (PL).
However, in a stat which puts added pressure on West Bromwich to make early chances count, they still haven’t won a game when trailing at half time, taking just one point from a possible 36 in that situation.
Newcastle have claimed 12 points from five matches, meaning that they have managed to survive comfortably and in style! Before the defeat against Everton in their last game, Newcastle had racked up four straight wins.
Furthermore, Newcastle have only lost two of their last ten PL games, keeping five clean sheets.
Players to watch: Ayoze Perez has had an inconsistent season, but has scored in three in his last four.
Jay Rodriguez is back among the goals after a bleak streak, scoring in three of West Bromwich’s last five matches in the PL.
Stat attack: Newcastle have had the upper hand in this one in the PL era (1992-present), losing just four out of the 21 PL games played between the two sides (W11, D6, L4).
Curiously, the ‘Magpies’ haven’t lost a game at St. James’ Park since New Year’s Day and are unbeaten in eight on Tyneside (W5, D3).