Facts and figures on Saturday's clash with the Red Devils (ko 12.45pm)
MANCHESTER United are the visitors to The Hawthorns on Saturday (ko 12.45pm) and here football statistics website WhoScored.com crunch the numbers ahead of the clash.
United have struggled in this, their first season after Sir Alex Ferguson retired in the summer, and they no longer look the same domineering outfit.
As ex-United goalkeeper Roy Carroll pointed out before his Olympiakos side beat the Red Devils in the Champions League last week, they do indeed look vulnerable, particularly at the back.
That is, however, not to take anything away from what was Albion's best performance of the season, when they won 2-1 at Old Trafford at the end of September - the only defeat United suffered in their first ten home games under David Moyes.
By the end of November, the Baggies were the only team to come away from the ground with a win in any competition.
Albion also remain the only team to go ahead at Old Trafford in the league, be pegged back to 1-1 and still maintain the composure and self-belief to not only hold off a United onslaught, but go back out to attack their opponents and eventually come away with a win.
This time around, they play hosts to Moyes' men, looking to extend the unbeaten home run Pepe Mel has enjoyed since taking the reins, having drawn 1-1 with the likes of Chelsea, Everton and Liverpool.
All three are above United in the Barclays Premier League table so there is good reason to believe the Baggies can fare even better against their next opponents, and they will be hoping for a repeat of the Old Trafford result.
This fixture last season brought about one of the most entertaining games in Barclays Premier League history with ten goals shared equally by the two sides.
That is seven goals scored by the Baggies in their two most recent clashes with last season's champions, and as WhoScored's statistically calculated match summaries report, Albion 'had a high shot frequency when in possession' in both matches, suggesting they can break down United’s defence more effectively than most.
Morgan Amalfitano produced one of his finest performances in Albion colours at Old Trafford, picking up a WhoScored rating of 8.37 as he scored the opener and then played a key part in the second.
Utilising his WhoScored strength of 'dribbling' could be key if the Baggies are to pull off another upset.
*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)
Interesting facts
| PLD | W | D | L | F | A | GD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HOME | 61 | 28 | 14 | 19 | 114 | 95 | +16 |
| AWAY | 62 | 13 | 16 | 33 | 77 | 124 | -47 |
| NEUTRAL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| TOTAL | 123 | 41 | 30 | 52 | 191 | 222 | -31 |
Albion’s 2-1 victory at Old Trafford in September was their first league win over United since March 1984, when Steve MacKenzie and Cyrille Regis were on the scoresheet.
Wayne Rooney has scored in six of his last five Barclays Premier League starts against Albion.
This fixture last season saw saw Sir Alex Ferguson bow out in the only 5-5 draw ever recorded in the Barclays Premier League.
The Baggies have scored four or more goals against United on 14 different occasions, while the Red Devils have netted four against Albion 13 times.
Last time out
HOME: Barclays Premier League, Sunday, May 19, 2013, Albion 5 (Morrison 40, Lukaku, 50, 80, 86, Mulumbu 81) United 5 (Kagawa 6, Olsson og 9, Buttner 30, van Persie 53, Hernandez 63)
AWAY: Barclays Premier League, Saturday, September 28, 2013, United 1 (Rooney 57) Albion 2 (Amalfitano 54, Berahino 67)
Form guide (last six league matches)
ALBION: DLDLDD
UNITED: LWLDDW
Last league match line-ups
ALBION (v Fulham – home D 1-1): Foster; Jones (Anichebe 43), McAuley, Olsson, Ridgewell; Amalfitano, Mulumbu, Morrison, Brunt; Berahino (Vydra 75), Thievy (Gera HT). Subs not used: Myhill (gk), Dawson, Dorrans, Sinclair.
UNITED (v Crystal Palace – away W 2-0): De Gea, Evra, Ferdinand, Smalling, Vidic, Mata, Carrick, Fellaini (Fletcher 88), Januzaj (Valencia 80), Rooney, van Persie (Giggs 80). Subs not used: Lindegaard (gk), Young, Kagawa, Hernandez.
United team news
Javier Hernandez limped out of Mexico’s friendly against Nigeria in Atlanta on Wednesday with a knee injury and may not be in the mix for Saturday, but Juan Mata, cup-tied for the Olympiacos game, is available.
Ref watch
Jonathan Moss will referee Saturday's game. The West Yorkshire official last oversaw the Baggies in their 4-1 defeat at Liverpool in October. He has dished out 87 yellow and two red cards in 27 games this term.
Betting
Selected odds from Sky Bet:
Albion to win: 18/5
United to win: 8/11
Draw: 11/4
Morgan Amalfitano to score first: 25/1
Wayne Rooney to score first: 5/1
If you fancy a flutter with the club's official online betting partner, click here.
Tickets
This game is close to selling out. For more information, click here.
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