West Brom vs Aston Villa (Sunday, 19:15)
Sam Allardyce will begin his latest in a long list of rescue missions at West Brom on Sunday night when Aston Villa visit the Hawthorns.
West Brom currently occupy a place in the basement zone and Big Sam perhaps now faces his biggest challenge to date in steering the Baggies to survival.
Allardyce's first game in charge is a Midlands derby with an Aston Villa outfit who have exceeded expectations this season so far.
Dean Smith's side have triumphed in five of their six top-flight road trips this term and they will fancy their chances of adding to West Brom's woes this weekend.
A Villa victory at general 4/5 is not a big enough price to tempt me in, however, there is an alternative angle that has caught my eye in the card market.
West Brom are priced up at 5/6 with Bet 365 to receive over one card during this dust-up, and that betting angle makes appeal.
Allardyce will have Albion fired up for this one and his players will be desperate to make a good impression before their new boss begins to wheel and deal in the forthcoming January transfer window.
What's more, Aston Villa are currently the most-fouled team in the Premier League and their talisman Jack Grealish tends to find himself on the receiving end of some rough treatment every time he takes to the turf – Grealish is the most-fouled player in the league this season.
Indeed, referee Martin Atkinson is averaging only two cards per game this term but I'm prepared to look beyond that here given it's a derby and the likelihood of Allarydyce looking for his troops adopt a more aggressive approach in their bid to beat the drop.
It's also worth noting that West Brom have received two or more bookings in each of their last four league matches and I reckon a repeat during Sunday nights Midlands derby represents value at 5/6 with Bet 365.
Recommended Bet
- West Brom Over 1 Card (5/6, Bet 365)
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