West Bromwich Albion and Huddersfield Town, two sides involved in one of the closest ever scraps at the foot of the Premier League table, will face off on Saturday afternoon in a tie that could defy either teams seasons, for good or bad reasons.
Both sides desperate for all three points
Alan Pardew’s West Brom side are currently rooted to the bottom of England’s top flight, seven points adrift of David Wagner’s Huddersfield, and with the games running out quickly, are in drastic need of a win in order to have any chance of being involved in the scrap for an escape from next seasons Sky Bet Championship.
The visitors have recently escaped the drop zone, following a phenomenal 4-1 win over Bournemouth last time out in the league, and another win would surely fire them up the table, however, anything other than a win could see them back into the deeply feared drop zone.
A difficult run-in for the Terriers
At the start of the season, many wrote off David Wagner’s Huddersfield side straight away, claiming they simply don’t have enough quality to survive in the Premier League, however, the West Yorkshire club have raised many eyebrows with their ability to turn over the likes of Manchester United, thus far this season.
Despite many impressive performances, in recent months Huddersfield have dropped off the pace and into a relegation scrap, and have a lot of difficult games to come in the remainder of this season.
Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Manchester City are all teams that Wager’s men have to travel to, making the likes of this weekend’s tie at the Hawthorns even more important against weaker opposition, as if they fail to win, they could have a mammoth of a task ahead of themselves, if their rivals for survival are able to pick up points in the upcoming weeks.
Pardew’s job on the line?
According to reports this week, Baggies boss Alan Pardew has only two games left to save his job at the Hawthorns. The former Crystal Palace man has had a hard time since arriving at the club earlier this season, and with his side in very hot water whilst rooted to the bottom of the table, you can see why these reports could be accurate.
When reports come out about a potential exit for a manager, the side can react one of two ways, either positively and work hard for their boss, or crumble even further and prove that there is a change that is needed, everyone associated with Huddersfield Town will be praying for the latter.
Whilst this tie isn’t likely to be one of the most glamorous of the weekend, it is certainly one of the most important, with three points for either side potentially going a long way both for points tally, and confidence heading into the final run in at the foot of the Premier League table.