Southampton v West Brom Betting Tips: Saints to bounce back in low-scoring fashion

Dec 30 2016
Dec 30 2016
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This Premier League match sees two mid-table teams clash as Southampton play host to West Bromwich Albion at St Mary’s.

Southampton suffered a rather heavy 4-1 at home to Tottenham Hotspur the other night to end a three-match unbeaten run. After a good run a couple of months ago, The Saints have now become a bit inconsistent which has resulted in them slipping down to eighth. Having said that, this is probably where they should expect to finish.

Claude Puel’s side have really had to rely on their solid back-line to pick up results this season as they’ve been fairly tame going forward, as proved by the fact they have scored only 18 goals in 18 matches – among the lowest in the league. Luckily though, although it was broken down well by Spurs the other night, Southampton’s defence has been excellent so far this season with just 20 goals conceded, keeping seven clean sheets.

The Saints’ success over the last few seasons has been built on their home form and, until their loss against Spurs on Wednesday, Southampton had only lost twice, and both times to Chelsea, in the whole of 2016. They will certainly feel confident of rounding off the year on a high against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.

West Brom have done quite well so far this campaign and currently sit 9th in the table. They were as high as 7th just a couple of games ago but two consecutive losses against big boys Manchester United and Arsenal have seen the Albion slip down the table. However, as expected with a Tony Pulis side, West Brom do tend to pick up points and wins against the sides in and around them – hence their lofty position.

The Baggies have been a bit more attacking this season and, in striker Soloman Rondon, they have a player capable of scoring vital goals. However, once again, the backbone is the defence which has only conceded 22 goals this season. Having said that, they have not kept a clean sheet in their last five which will have Pulis slightly concerned.

Albion have always relied on their home form to pick up points and it is no different this campaign, as demonstrated by their away form which has seen them win just twice on the road and record no win in their last three away from The Hawthorns. However, nine points out of nine matches away from home is not a bad return by any means.

Given Southampton’s good home record, I expect them to win here, although it’s unlikely to be in high-scoring fashion. We can expect to see quite a tight game between these two low-scoring sides. With this in mind,  ‘Southampton to Win & Under 2.5 Goals’, at 5/2, is a good bet to go for.

Click here to see Saturday’s Championship tips.

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