Club News

STAT PACK: Will home comforts help?

Facts and figures on Wednesday's clash with Citizens (ko 8pm)

MANCHESTER City are the midweek visitors to The Hawthorns as the Baggies vie to get back to winning ways on home soil. Here, the guys over at stats website WhoScored.com have a look at the vital numbers ahead of the game.

Albion were unfortunate to come away from St James' Park at the weekend with nothing, when a draw would really have been the fairest result. 

Nonetheless, Steve Clarke will need his men back to their consummate best for the visit of Manuel Pellegrini's side. 

The Citizens brushed Swansea aside on Sunday, just a week after thrashing Tottenham 6-0 at the Eithad. 

Crucially, however, while City have been unstoppable on home soil - seven wins from as many games and 29 goals scored - they have one of the worst away records in the Barclays Premier League this season.

With four losses from six matches on the road in the current campaign, City have already been defeated away from home as many times in the league this season as they were in the whole of last, when they finished second in the table.

Only four teams (Hull, Crystal Palace, Norwich and Sunderland) have picked up fewer points in away games this season. 

Of those, Albion have hosted Palace and Sunderland this season and come away with respective 2-0 and 3-0 wins. 

While City have netted an average of 4.1 goals per game on home soil, they have been significantly less prolific away, scoring just 1.3 goals per game. 

Clarke has built a defensively-sound Albion side that has proven difficult to break down at The Hawthorns even for the best teams in the league, and that could prove the basis for a positive result.

All the while, Albion have an attack that is capable of breaking down most opponents and should be confident of netting at least once when City come to play. 

Having netted seven goals in their last four outings and having failed to score in only 1 of their last 11 matches in all competitions, there is little reason to doubt that Albion will net yet again.

What is more, nearly half of City's goals on the road this season (three out of eight) have come from set-piece situations, with their normally fluid passing game significantly less successful when travelling. 

Albion are yet to concede a single goal at home this season from a corner or free-kick, and if they can quash the open play threat of City's creative players, they should be confident of standing up to their opponent's efforts from dead balls.

Gareth McAuley has been key to that, making a colossal 8.4 clearances per game this season and winning 65.7 per cent of the aerial battles he has contested. 

He has followed up his goal and WhoScored.com man of the match award against Palace with three more impressive displays, in each of which he was Albion's highest-rated defender. 

*WhoScored.com is a unique website and one of the fastest growing in the sports industry, specialising in the in-depth analysis of detailed football data. Provided with unique stats, they compile and create comprehensive analysis on the major European divisions, including live match stats and player ratings. Follow @WhoScored and their editor-in-chief @alitweedale on Twitter.

All-time results record (League, FA Cup and League Cup)


PLDWDLFAGD
HOME72  
38 
17 
17  
13676  
60  
AWAY70  
16 
12 
42  
97 
163  
-66  
NEUTRAL
00


-1
TOTAL143   
54 
29 
60   
234  
241   
-7   
Interesting facts


Claudio Yacob played with Sergio Aguero for Argentina when they won the FIFA World Under-20 World Cup in 2007, in Canada. 

Edin Dzeko scored all three of Manchester City's goals against Albion last season.

The Baggies have opened the scoring in each of their last four home league games.

There have been four red cards in the last five meetings between these sides at The Hawthorns.


Last time out

HOME: Barclays Premier League, Saturday, October 20, 2012, Albion 1 (Long 67) Man City 2 (Dzeko 80, 90) 
AWAY: Barclays Premier League, Tuesday, May 7, Man City 1 (Dzeko 35) Albion 0

Form guide (last six league matches)
 
MAN CITY: WLWLWW 
ALBION: DLWDDL    

Last match line-ups

ALBION (v Newcastle – away L 2-1): Myhill; Jones, McAuley, Olsson, Ridgewell; Morrison, Mulumbu; Amalfitano (Gera 88), Sessegnon (Anichebe 77), Brunt (c) (Berahino 77); Long. Subs not used: L Daniels (gk), Popov, Lugano, Yacob.

MAN CITY (v Swansea – home W 3-0): Pantilimon, Zabaleta, Lescott, Demichelis, Clichy, Fernandinho, Yaya Toure, Navas (Kolarov 76), Nasri, Negredo (Milner 63), Aguero (Dzeko 79). Subs not used: Hart (gk), Richards, Garcia, Rodwell

Man City team news

Skipper Vincent Kompany is in City's travelling squad following injury.

Ref watch

Chris Foy will referee Wednesday's game. The Merseyside official last oversaw Albion in last season’s 2-1 win at QPR on Boxing Day. He has dished out 28 yellow and two red cards in 11 games this season.

Betting

Selected odds from SkyBet:
  
Albion to win: 9/2
Man City to win: 8/13
Draw: 14/5  

Shane Long to score the first goal: 8/1
Edin Dzeko to score the first goal: 9/2   

If you fancy a flutter with the club's official online betting partner, click here.

Tickets

Tickets remain on general sale. For further information, click here.

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