Sam Allardyce will be hoping for his first win as West Brom boss when his side host Arsenal in their first games of 2021.
Allardyce’s Baggies claimed a remarkable point at Liverpool last Sunday but were smashed by Leeds in their following game.
They remain second from bottom and are five points off safety.
They host an Arsenal side this weekend who are starting to find some form again.
The Gunners have eased pressure on Mikel Arteta with back-to-back wins over Chelsea and Brighton.
West Brom v Arsenal: How to listen
This match will get under way at 8pm on Saturday, January 2.
Full coverage from the Hawthorns will be exclusively live on talkSPORT, with our coverage starting at 7pm.
Faye Carruthers will be your host and commentary will from from Nigel Adderley and Trevor Sinclair.
To tune in, click the radio player below or HERE for the live stream.
Here are the other ways to listen…
App iPhone – Download from the Apple store
Android – Download from Google Play
Radio – talkSPORT is available across the United Kingdom via DAB digital radio and on 1089 or 1053 AM.
TV – Listen to talkSPORT through your TV on the following channels: Sky: Channel 0108 Virgin Media: Channel 927 Freeview: Channel 723 Freesat: Channel 731
West Brom v Arsenal: Team news
West Brom are expected to make changes for the visit of Arsenal.
Sam Allardyce questioned his players’ commitment following the defeat to Leeds and Filip Krovinovic, Matheus Pereira and Branislav Ivanovic could return.
Kieran Gibbs is a doubt with a quad injury after pulling out of the warm-up ahead of the Leeds defeat and Jake Livermore serves the final game of his three-match ban.
Meanwhile, Bukayo Saka is expected to be fit for Arsenal.
The teenager was forced off late on during Tuesday’s win over Brighton where Alexandre Lacazette scored off the bench after he reported a sore back.
The pair should be fit to start at the Hawthorns while David Luiz and Willian may be available.
Thomas Partey remains absent along with Gabriel and Reiss Nelson.
West Brom v Arsenal: What has been said?
Sam Allardyce: “The players are playing for everybody’s future at West Bromwich Albion. As well as themselves and their team-mates and the families, they’re playing for people’s jobs here.
“They’re responsible for people’s jobs because there’s no doubt whenever a club gets relegated it starts cutting back. It starts reducing costs and making people redundant, maybe people who have worked here for years and years and years and who are Albion through and through.
“They should think about that for a while and use that for more determination about what we need to do to save this football club.”
On Arsenal, he added: “Let’s hope the players see Arsenal as big as they see Manchester City and Liverpool because they seem to do the right things against the teams they seem to have a bit more fear of.
“I hope they fear Arsenal and it kicks them into performing like they did against Liverpool and certainly at The Hawthorns. We’ve got to start picking up points wherever we can.”
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West Brom v Arsenal: Match stats and facts
- West Brom are unbeaten in their last three Premier League home games against Arsenal (W2 D1), having only avoided defeat in three of their first nine against them at the Hawthorns in the competition (W1 D2 L6).
- Arsenal have scored in all 24 of their Premier League meetings with West Brom, the best 100% scoring record by one side against an opponent in the competition’s history.
- Arsenal have won just one of their last six Premier League away games against promoted sides (D2 L3), with that victory coming at Fulham on the opening day this season.
- Arsenal have lost their opening league game in just two of the last 19 calendar years (W11 D6), losing 0-2 at Southampton in 2015 and 1-2 at Fulham in 2012.
- Arsenal lost their last league game against a side in the relegation zone, losing 0-1 at home to Burnley – the Gunners have never lost consecutive Premier League games against a side starting the day in the drop zone before.
- West Bromwich Albion have lost their last three home Premier League games by an aggregate score of 1-13, conceding three or more goals in each defeat. The Baggies have never lost four consecutive home top-flight games while also shipping 3+ goals in each defeat.
- West Brom have won just eight points in the Premier League so far this season – only in 1985-86 have they amassed fewer points after 16 games of a top-flight campaign (6 – converted to 3pts/win all-time). Each of the previous five sides to earn eight points or fewer after 16 Premier League games of a season were relegated, most recently Aston Villa in 2015-16.
- Arsenal have won as many Premier League games in their last two outings (2), as they did in their previous 12 combined (W2 D2 L8). The Gunners are looking to win three consecutive Premier League games under Mikel Arteta for the fourth time, also doing so in September, July and March 2020.
- Only against Man City and Man Utd (17 each) has West Brom boss Sam Allardyce lost more Premier League games than he has vs Arsenal (16). His last three league victories against the Gunners have been with different clubs – 3-1 with Bolton (Nov 2006), 2-1 with Blackburn (May 2010) and 3-0 with Crystal Palace (April 2017).
- Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been involved in 17 goals in 15 Premier League games against promoted sides (13 goals, 4 assists). However, four of the five games in which he’s failed to score against a promoted side have come away from home.
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