Mark Lawrenson thinks West Brom and West Ham will draw 1-1 this afternoon.
Mark Lawrenson
Pundit Mark Lawrenson has told BBC Sport that he thinks West Bromwich Albion and West Ham United will draw 1-1 this afternoon.
The Baggies head into the game with mounting pressure on manager Tony Pulis, with many fans keen to see the Welshman move on in favour of a new boss with a fresh approach.
West Brom manager Tony Pulis
West Brom have claimed just four points in their four Premier League games so far this season, whilst they have only scored twice in those four games.
Supporters are unsurprisingly keen to see a more attacking approach, but West Ham fans may tell them that it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.
The Hammers were all tricks and flicks last weekend as they raced into a 2-0 lead over Watford, with Dimitri Payet’s sensational rabona leading to Michail Antonio’s second goal in the game.
West Ham United’s Dimitri Payet
However, Slaven Bilic’s men fell apart defensively and ended up losing 4-2 at the London Stadium, meaning they head into today’s game against West Brom just one point and one place above the relegation zone.
Bilic is coming under increasing pressure, and he needs a result at The Hawthorns – but pundit Mark Lawrenson doesn’t think the Hammers will pick up three points today.
Lawrenson has told BBC Sport that West Brom could choose to move on from Pulis in the near future, but expects a positive reaction from West Ham, predicting a 1-1 draw between the two sides.
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic
“West Brom did not show much in the first half of their defeat by Bournemouth last week, but they created a lot of chances in the second half without having anything to show for it,” said Lawrenson. “It is a strange time for the Baggies at the moment – their manager Tony Pulis is a little bit in limbo, waiting for a takeover to go through. He doesn’t think he was backed in the transfer window and the new owners might come in and decide they want to change things. It has happened before.”
“I think we might see a positive reaction from West Ham’s players after they collapsed from 2-0 up to lose 4-2 at home to Watford last week. The way that game went was just bizarre and, after that, a point here would be a good result for the Hammers,” he added.
What’s your prediction for West Brom v West Ham?
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