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Attendance: 26,196
West Brom logo
Premier League
May 15, 2016 at 3pm UK
 
Liverpool logo

1-1

Rondon (13')
FT(HT: 1-1)
Ibe (23')

Preview: West Bromwich Albion vs. Liverpool

Sports Mole previews the final game of the Premier League season between West Bromwich Albion and Liverpool at The Hawthorns.

Neither West Bromwich Albion nor Liverpool have anything to play for in their final Premier League game of the season, but the former will be keen to end their season on a high at The Hawthorns this Sunday.

Tony Pulis's side are currently 15th in the table on 42 points, while Liverpool are four points off fifth, but their main focus is on next week's Europa League final in Basel.


West Bromwich Albion

Tony Pulis calls the shots during the Premier League game between Manchester City and West Bromwich Albion on April 9, 2016© Getty Images

The Baggies will not be registering a top-10 finish this season, and will in fact be positioned lower than they were at the conclusion of the 2014-15 campaign.

Tony Pulis's side finished 13th in the standings on 44 points, and while the team could end the current campaign with more points than last season, they have dropped down a few places.

West Brom fans may feel disappointed that the club have not built significantly since last season, but they avoided a relegation battle and should be heading into the 2016-17 campaign with Pulis still as manager.

There has been uncertainty over the 58-year-old's future at The Hawthorns as he refused to fully commit to the club before holding talks with chairman Jeremy Peace at the end of the season.

Last month, though, Pulis, who joined West Brom last year, admitted that he has no intentions of leaving the club and plans to stay put if the board will allow it.

We are close to the finish line in the Premier League, and it has not been thrilling couple of months for the Baggies as they have not won any of their last eight top-flight fixtures.

In that time, the team have recorded three draws, suffered five defeats, and only scored three goals - in fact, in five of those matches the Baggies drew a blank.

That lack of goals has been a problem all season for West Brom given that they have netted just 33, which is the second fewest scored in the division this season.

Only Aston Villa, who were relegated to the Championship weeks ago, have a worse record having found the back of the net just 27 times in 37 games.

The Baggies' defence record is better, though, as they have conceded 47 goals, which is fewer than 12 other teams, including Liverpool, West Ham United and Chelsea.

The final day of the season is not particularly kind for West Brom as they have managed to come out on top in just one of their last nine having drawn five and lost three.

Recent form: LLLDLW


Liverpool

Jurgen Klopp ist eine froh Hase after the Premier League game between Crystal Palace and Liverpool on March 6, 2016© Getty Images

It is safe to say that Jurgen Klopp and his men will not have too much focus on this Sunday's game as they have one eye on next week's Europa League final.

The German coach was warmly welcomed to Anfield when he replaced Brendan Rodgers in October, and he has endeared himself to the supporters even more since then.

In seven months in charge, Klopp has guided the team to two cup finals - the League Cup and Europa League - and they may have fallen to Manchester City in the domestic tournament, but they still have a chance of winning silverware if they defeat Sevilla in Basel on May 18.

With regards to Liverpool's Premier League campaign, it has been rather disappointing given that they failed to keep up a Champions League chase, but they will go straight into next season's elite tournament should they win the Europa trophy next week.

The main problem for Liverpool in the league this season has been a lack of consistency. For example, their last four fixtures in the division ended in one win, one defeat and two draws.

They were outplayed in large spells of Wednesday night's match against Chelsea, but they managed to earn a late 1-1 draw at Anfield thanks to a 92nd-minute goal from Christian Benteke.

The club are currently positioned eighth in the standings and they will be unable to push into the top five given that they are four points adrift.

Despite the club's overall season being inconsistent, they are heading into the final weekend in the fifth-best form in the league; only champions Leicester City, Southampton, Sunderland and West Ham United are in better current form.

Final-day matches on the road have not ended well for Liverpool as they have lost each of their last three, which were in 2011, 2012 and 2015.

Recent form: WWDLWD
Recent form (all competitions): DLLWWD


Team News

Liverpool's English striker Danny Ings applauds supporters after the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Norwich City at the Anfield stadium in Liverpool, north-west England on September 20, 2015.© Getty Images

Klopp is expected to make wholesale changes to the team for Sunday's visit to The Hawthorns in order to rest players for next week's final in Basel.

A number of fringe players and youngsters could be given minutes on the pitch, and one returning player could be Danny Ings, who has been out with a knee ligament injury since mid-October.

Jordan Henderson and Divock Origi are working their ways back to fitness, but they are more likely to feature in Wednesday's Europa League final as opposed to Sunday afternoon's game.

As for West Brom, Pulis is likely to field a strong side with the hope of ending the season with a positive result in front of their home fans.

Darren Fletcher and Jonny Evans are expected to be passed fit after picking up knocks last weekend, while Stephane Sessegnon could also be included.

West Bromwich Albion possible starting lineup:
Foster; Dawson, McAuley, Evans, Olsson; Fletcher, Yacob; Sessegnon, Gardner, McClean; Rondon

Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Ward; Flanagan, Skrtel, Lucas, Smith; Allen, Stewart; Ibe, Ojo, Firmino; Benteke


Head To Head

In the last five Premier League meetings between the two clubs, Liverpool have come out on top twice and the remaining three have ended in draws.

In fact, West Brom have lost 11 of their last 15 games against the Reds at The Hawthorns, and in 2003, they suffered 5-0 and 6-0 losses to the Merseyside outfit.

Daniel Sturridge enjoys playing against the Baggies as he has scored in both of his league appearances against them while at Liverpool.


Sports Mole Logo

We say: West Bromwich Albion 1-1 Liverpool

As mentioned, West Brom will be keen to put on a good show for their supporters before signing off for the season. Given that Liverpool are expected to make plenty of alterations to the first team, it gives the Baggies a big chance to get a result on Sunday. Goals have been hard to come by for Pulis's men, though, so do not be surprised if both clubs share the points.



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