West Brom fired previous manager Tony Pulis following a 4-0 defeat by champions Chelsea earlier this month, with Gary Megson installed as caretaker before a permanent appointment could be made. The Baggies have picked up two points since then, creditably drawing 1-1 with Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley before throwing away a two-goal lead against Newcastle United on Tuesday night, but they remain on the cusp of the relegation zone at the time of writing. Indeed, a return of 12 points from 14 matches is probably less than the club expected at this stage of the season, with West Brom still without a Premier League win since August; the hope is that Pardew can come in and have an immediate impact – just like he did at Palace – but the West Midlanders will be mindful that they are in a precarious position heading into a hectic December.
Ever since they sprang a surprise on Chelsea by winning 2-1 at Selhurst Park on October 14, Palace have generally performed well in the Premier League. It is only recently that results have followed, however, with a goalless draw with rivals Brighton and Hove Albion in midweek preceded by a last-gasp 2-1 defeat of Stoke City on Saturday afternoon. Collecting four points from those two games was vital for Roy Hodgson and his struggling side, but Palace remain rooted to the foot of the table and, with the worst goal difference in the division, still have considerable work to do to pull themselves away from the danger zone.
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West Brom will have to make do without Chris Brunt (calf), Nacer Chadli (hamstring), Craig Dawson (knee) and James Morrison (Achilles) for the visit of Palace, who won 2-0 on this ground under the guidance of Sam Allardyce last season. It will be interesting to see whether Pardew enacts major changes in his first game at the helm, although it will probably be the case that it is still too early for the ex-Newcastle honcho to put his stamp on the team. Nevertheless, Grzegorz Krychowiak could return to the starting XI after a recent spell on the substitutes’ bench, while Hal Robson-Kanu will probably keep his place in the team after a goal and all-round positive performance in the draw with Rafael Benitez’s men earlier this week.
Long-term absentee Connor Wickham remains absent with a knee injury, but Palace boss Hodgson has no fresh fitness concerns heading into the weekend. The former England manager stuck with a 4-2-2 formation in midweek despite the return of Christian Benteke, who was partnered up top by Wilfried Zaha, but he may be tempted to revert to 4-3-3 and employ Zaha out wide this weekend. That would also allow Hodgson to move Ruben Loftus-Cheek into his favoured central role, while at the back Mamadou Sakho and James Tomkins look to be forging a sturdy central defensive partnership and will continue alongside one another at The Hawthorns.
Pardew will be desperate to collect all three points against his former club and, more importantly, bring an end to the Baggies’ lengthy winless run. Palace look to have turned a corner under Hodgson, though, and while their away record is still desperately poor – despite their draw in midweek, the Eagles have still not scored on their travels this term – they should be strong enough to avoid defeat in the Midlands. A score draw therefore looks like the best option for this one, while this could be the game in which Benteke finally opens his personal account for the 2017/18 campaign.
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