Aston Villa vs. West Bromwich Albion – English Premier League, April 25, 2021

After an extended break for the Baggies, Sam Allardyce takes his players on the short trip to Villa Park in the hope of picking up some more vital points.

There is not as much at stake for Villa, thanks to an impressive season so far. But there is the local rivalry to spice things up.

The bookmakers looked at the league positions of these two and priced this game accordingly. That doesn’t take into account the motivation and needs of both clubs.

West Brom is fighting for its Premier League survival and could spring a few surprises. The draw bet might be of interest here.

Aston Villa was one goal up within 20 seconds of its game against Manchester City on Wednesday but could not hold on for the remaining 90 minutes and ended up losing 2-1. There had been a ray of hope when City reduced to ten men just before halftime. But when Matty Cash was also dismissed on the hour, it was difficult to get back into the game. That result saw Villa remain in mid-table.

A few more good performances would probably be enough for Dean Smith and the fans now.

Of course, West Brom needs much more than that. Sam Allardyce was brought in to keep the club in the Premier League – and for a long time, it looked as though the appointment was in danger of failing spectacularly. But there is renewed hope now that the Baggies have won back-to-back games for the first time this season.

West Brom will also have enjoyed almost two weeks off by the time this game kicks off – and if that period has been put to good use, we could have a real game on our hands this Sunday. There is still a lot to do to stay up this season, but West Brom does look like the one club giving it everything at the bottom of the league now.

Aston Villa will probably still be without talismanic Jack Grealish – and will be poorer for that, as it has been all season in his absence. The other thing that West Brom has going for it is that it needs the points. That may drift into desperation, but I feel there is a good chance of them earning a point this weekend.

I like the draw bet here and that’s the way to go.