Burnley arrive here after a shock victory over Chelsea last week. They were helped by the fact that Chelsea went down to 10 men early in the game, and then down to 9 later, but they still deserve a lot of credit for the win. West Brom also won last weekend, beating Bournemouth in a tight game and they too will head here full of confidence.
Burnley are probably going to be in the relegation scrap, while West Brom will be looking to equal last season’s top half finish. That should give us a good game here, two teams that are in form, full of confidence and have clear goals for this season.
Burnley Form
Burnley were fantastic at home last season, they were one of the best teams on their home soil and bet many of the big clubs. They stayed up last season because of that form, and they will need to be very good at home again this season if they are to remain in the Premier League again.
They dramatically took three points from Stamford Bridge last weekend, beating Chelsea 3-2 in a wild encounter. They were helped by the red card’s that Chelsea received, but deserve a ton of credit for how they performed and took their chances in the game. The bottle that is required to go to the league champions on opening day and beat them is huge, and Burnley deserve a ton of credit for what they achieved.
I still expect Burnley to be struggling and involved in the relegation scrap, but last weekend they picked up a valuable three points that they wouldn’t have expected. This weekend they return home and they need to build on that, to give themselves a great start.
West Brom Form
West Brom impressed me last season, finishing in the top half of the table and showing up well against all the big teams. They have not made too many moves, but one they have made was the signing of striker Jay Rodriguez. He was fantastic last weekend and it will be interesting to see how he performs week in week out at West Brom.
Last weekend’s 1-0 victory over Bournemouth was a very good start for them. Bournemouth are a good team and one who will be challenging for a top half place with West Brom so those three points could turn out to be vital. I expect West Brom to be in the top half, and with a good start that will look even more likely.
Team News
Burnely began life without striker Andre Gray last weekend but they didn’t show any signs of missing him. Sam Vokes scored twice in the win over Chelsea and he is one player who is going to have to step forward and help to replace the goals lost by Gray leaving the club.
Jay Rodriguez has the ability to score goals for West Brom and if he can get off to a good start then it will really help his club. They have the ability to finish in the top half and having goals from Rodriguez will only enhance their chances of that. He has a lot of creativity in behind him and look sure to have chances based on last weekend, I have every confidence that he will put them away and shine for West Brom.
Top Betting Tips
If Burnley are to survive again this season then they need to once again be very good at home. That needs to start with a win here today against West Brom and if they can win then they will have given themselves the perfect start to this season. I do believe they can win the game and I will be backing them to win today.
West Brom are a good team, and they will be close to a top half finish, with Jay Rodriguez the man who could potentially fire for them this season. If he does then West Brom look sure to finish in the top half.
My bet in this one is for Burnley to win the game and to continue their good home run from last season. They are available to back at 6/4 with Ladbrokes and William Hill and I think that offers good value for a team who were so good at home last season. West Brom have the ability to cause them problems, but I am looking forward to seeing Burnley at home and I think they can win their home opener this weekend.