Liverpool look to better on their eight place positioning on the final day of the Barclays Premier League 2015-16 season as they face Tony Pulis’ West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns. Liverpool will be set to field a much-rotated side again as the Reds face Sevilla in the finals of the UEFA Europa League in a little over 3 days in Basel, Switzerland.
Jurgen Klopp is upbeat about his side’s chances of finishing the season on a high and believes regardless of the final that awaits them, the game against the Baggies is the most important game in the world for them at the moment.
Tony Pulis is under no illusion of the same being true for his side as they sit 15th in the table with some disgruntlement amongst a few quarters of the West Brom faithful. Pulis has had to defend his team’s recent record as they are winless for a long time in the Premier League now.
The West Brom team also have the fewest shots on target of all teams out there, adding to the notion that Tony Pulis’ side are all too defensive.
The game could feature the return of Jordan Henderson from injury and even see long time absentee Danny Ings pull off a few minutes upon his return. The key battles will center around Salomon Rondon and Martin Skrtel on one end and possible debutant Sergi Canos facing the Baggies’ back line on the other.
Sergi Canos returns to Liverpool after a successful loan stint at Brentford who made their presence felt in the Championship. Sergi Canos has been a bit of a favorite to the Brentford faithful and will hope that he can create a similar relationship with Klopp and the Kop.
Liverpool aren’t expected to dominate a physical West Brom side with most of their kids getting a run out, but they will be expected to treat their travelling fans to some good football and perhaps a result that they can sing about on their way back home, but no matter what Jurgen Klopp says, this game will play second fiddle in the minds of fans to the Europa League final which could be the difference between a good season and an ordinary one for these fans.
Kickoff and Live Telecast
Channel: Star Sports HD 2
Date and Time: 15th May 2016, 7:30 P.M. IST
Venue: The Hawthorns
Live Stream: http://www.starsports.com/football/leagues/barclays-english-premier-league-100008/index.html
Betting Odds: Liverpool: 13/8; Draw: 13/5; West Brom: 7/4; via Bet365
Key Stats:
- Liverpool have lost just one of their last eight matches in the Premier League.
- West Brom have lost their last three games at home without scoring.
- West Brom have the least number of shots on target in the Premier League this season (106).
- The Teams have drawn 3 of their last 4 meetings in the Premier League.
