West Bromwich Albion vs. Newcastle United Betting Preview – EPL, March 7, 2021

There are some big games in the EPL this weekend, but this one is probably the most important as far as the relegation battle goes.

Newcastle desperately needs to get back in control of its own destiny and can’t afford to lose to a direct rival at the foot of the table.

It shows how little faith the bookmakers have in Newcastle at the moment that West Brom – a side that has only won three games all season – is the favorite to win this one. BetOnline does have this priced fairly closely, but the home win bet still looks good, considering how poorly Newcastle has been playing.

West Brom may have lost to Everton on Thursday, but things might be looking up at The Hawthorns. That was the first defeat for the Baggies in four games – and the problems faced by Sunday’s opponent have given West Brom a renewed chance of staying up. A win here would put Sam Allardyce’s side just three points behind the Magpies.

Although this season has been anything but straightforward for West Brom, recent results against the other clubs circling the bottom three have been positive. There were draws against Fulham and Burnley – and the controversial win over Brighton before the loss in midweek.

But if West Brom does end up winning on Sunday, it will be because of how its opponent plays more than anything else. Newcastle has won only two of its last 15 games and has tumbled down the table since the start of the year. It is saying something that the home draw against Wolves last weekend was a big positive.

There have been stories of discord coming out of St James’ Park this week after Steve Bruce seemed to blame individual players for that draw. But, even if those disagreements have been cleared up, the absence of Callum Wilson, Miguel Almiron, and Allan Saint-Maximin makes it difficult to predict an away win on Sunday. 

Sam Allardyce has a fully fit squad to pick from this weekend – something his Newcastle counterpart can only dream of – but it is the differing form of the two clubs that makes it easier to back the home side. West Brom will still be in deep trouble at the bottom, but three points here will make things better temporarily.