West Brom v Fulham Preview, Match Prediction and Betting Tips

West Brom and Fulham have so far enjoyed very different seasons. One side find themselves two points off a Champions League berth, whilst the other hover four points above the relegation zone.

West Brom, and new manager Steve Clarke, have been a revelation this year. Defeat at Old Trafford last time out aside, the Baggies have been on an outstanding run and can look forward to the coming weeks with some confidence, with fixtures against Fulham, QPR, Reading and Aston Villa, all of whom find themselves in a dogfight at the bottom of the league. Shane Long and Romalu Lukaku have been finding the net consistently, with 13 league goals between them, whilst the defence have only conceded 7 goals at home, the joint meanest home defence in the league along with Chelsea and Stoke.

Contrastingly, Fulham started the season brightly enough but have now won only one of their last twelve games in the league and have only won once away from Craven Cottage all season. Whilst they possess considerable firepower up front with high class strikers such as Dimitar Berbatov and Mladen Petric, only Southampton, Aston Villa and now Newcastle (after shipping seven at the Emirates last weekend) have conceded more than Fulham on the road. Fulham’s survival in the top division has traditionally been built on their home form, and Martin Jol will be confident that wins in south London will keep them from being sucked into the relegation mire. Away in the Black country is another story though.

Everything points to a comfortable west Brom win at the Hawthornes. Those put off by the short price of the home team may want to take a look at the half time/full time market, where Fulham’s predilection for conceding early goals offers the opportunity to get better value on a West Brom triumph at around 11/5.

Chris Brunt’s return to form and fitness has been a welcome boost for Clarke, and backing the Baggies captain for the first goal will certainly give better returns than any of the four quality strikers on display at 10/1. Zoltan Gera is also a decent bet, and has already chipped in with four league goals from midfield this term, and can be found at around 8/1.

West Brom v Fulham Betting Tips

West Brom HT/West Brom FT – 11/5 with William Hill

New William Hill customers get a free £25 bet when they open a new account. To get your free £25 you just need to click this link and follow the steps.