Pepe Mel will be targeting his first win as West Brom boss when his side take on Aston Villa on Wednesday. The Spaniard oversaw a 1-1 draw with Everton in his first game in charge to pull away from the drop, while Nicolas Anelka could play despite the ongoing ‘quenelle’ gesture row.
Aston Villa vs West Bromwich Albion
When: January 29, 2014 7:45 PM GMT
Where: Villa Park — Birmingham
Referee: M. Clattenburg
Odds: 2.60 | 3.30 | 3.00 – Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200
Tip: Over 2.5 goals @ 2.20
The Spaniard oversaw a 1-1 draw with Everton in his first game in charge as Diego Lugano’s second-half header cancelled out Kevin Mirallas’ opener.
When Villa faced West Brom back in November, the Baggies raced into a two-goal lead via a double from Shane Long, who has since joined Hull City.
A triple second-half substitution by Paul Lambert sparked his charges into life, with Karim El Ahmadi and Ashley Westwood finding the net to earn Villa a point.
Both sides should feel fresh heading into this tie having had the weekend off due to their FA Cup third-round eliminations and, with the battle for top-flight survival proving so tight this season, they will be desperate to avoid being dragged closer to the relegation zone.
Villa hold the advantage in the head-to-head record between these clubs, but recent history shows this to be one of the most hotly contested fixtures in the Premier League, with the last 15 meetings either ending all square or in a 2-1 victory.
Gabriel Agbonlahor (foot) remains a major doubt for the hosts on Wednesday, while Nathan Baker (concussion) is thought to be nearing a return.
West Brom will be without Stephane Sessegnon (groin), who is set to be out for another month, but Gareth McAuley is back in contention following a hamstring problem.
Striker Nicolas Anelka, who has underlined his desire to stay at West Brom, is eligible to play after denying a Football Association charge over his ‘quenelle’ gesture.
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