Fixture list will bring little joy for West Brom this Christmas
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West Brom may be occupying a comfortable spot in the top-half of the Premier League, but between now and the New Year the Baggies are in for a rough time.
The Black Country outfit are one of the form teams right now, winning three and drawing one of their last four.
That run looks like a successful job of picking up the points while you can – before the tough games arrive – and Baggies fans may well be grateful for those 10 points in four weeks’ time.
Tony Pulis leads his men into a grim run of festive fixtures with a trip to Chelsea this weekend, while games against Manchester United and Arsenal still await before 2016 is over.
A home tie with Swansea on December 14 and a visit to Southampton on New Years’ Eve are the Baggies’ best hope for points.
This will go some way to explaining why, despite their excellent form of late, West Brom remain above Evens at 6/4 for a top-10 finish this season.
Similarly, they’re odds-on to end up in the bottom half at 4/9, despite sitting just a point behind Manchester United.
The trend continues in the Top Midlands Club market, for which they remain third in the betting behind Leicester and Stoke.
Though the Foxes continue to flounder in the Premier League, and the Potters remain inconsistent, Pulis’ men are 19/10 to finish top of that trio come May.
How the Baggies fare over the next few weeks will be huge in determining their fortunes this season.
Pick up a few results against some of the Premier League contenders, and a top-half finish must be strongly considered, but equally, a bad run of form now could spiral itself into the New Year and create an unlikely but not unthinkable battle against the drop.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
