In Game Week Five of the 2017/2018 Premier League season, Slaven Bilic and the boys make the 140 Mile round trip to The Hawthorns, where they will be joined by 2,700 of The Claret & Blue Army to take on West Bromwich Albion.
We go into the game with momentum and confidence after our vital victory over Huddersfield Town in Stratford on Monday night.
Whereas, the hosts are feeling the opposite coming off a 3-1 thumping at The Amex Stadium, to halt their respectable start to the campaign.
When?
The tie will kick-off at 3 PM GMT on Saturday afternoon as part of five Games that start at that time, with no Television Coverage being provided anywhere in The UK.
Unfortunately, there are also no Mainstream Radio Commentaries of the fixture available to Hammers in this country.
But, you can be sure to head over to @MooreThanAClub on Twitter for live updates of all the action and reaction from The West Midlands.
Where?
The fixture will take place at West Bromwich Albion’s Hawthorns Stadium, the geographically highest venue in not just The Premier League, but all of English Football.
Since its opening in the year 1900, we have visited The Stadium a staggering 50 times and ran out 4-2 losers in a thrilling encounter, the last time that we faced Tony Pulis’ men away from home.
The Hawthorns also boasts a capacity of close to 30,000 and only took a remarkable four months to construct, enjoying its finest hour in 2005, as fans invaded the pitch to celebrate The Baggies’ incredible final day Top-Flight survival.
Team News:
Having been without the quartet of skipper Mark Noble, Club-record signing Marko Arnautovic, Swiss International Edimilson Fernandes and star man Manuel Lanzini for Monday’s Terriers triumph.
Slaven Bilic is expected to travel with a fuller squad to face The Albion, as Noble returns from a knock and Arnautovic is back from suspension, but The Croat will almost undoubtedly name an unchanged starting Xl.
For the hosts, there is some good news and some bad news on the Player front, with 37-year-old defender Gareth McAuley a strong contender to make his injury comeback after the featuring for his side’s U23’s against Brighton.
However, the attacking duo of Nacer Chadli and new signing Oliver Burke are both touch and go in terms of reaching full fitness in time for Saturday. While Hal Robson-Kanu remains suspended for Tony Pulis.
Form:
The overall record between The Baggies and our Hammers makes for intriguing viewing for any Football fan, as it is surely one of the most even in The Premier League.
Out of the 103 times that the two sides have met in Competition Football, West Brom have been victorious 40 times, the three points have gone to us 39 times and there have been 24 draws.
To add to the finely poised outlook, the last time that we faced the five-time FA Cup winners, the points were shared as Gareth McAuley nodded home an equalizer in the dying embers of The London Stadium clash, back in February of this year.
The Opposition:
West Bromwich Albion are still one of the most decorated Clubs in English Football to this day, with a rich history of both Division One and Domestic Cup triumphs.
Perhaps one of the most impressive things about their past successes is the fact that they have been spread out over a large period of history, with Silverware spanning from 1888 to 2008.
However, recent times have been harsh on the Club in comparison to bygones, as they yo-yo-ed in and out of The Premier League frantically during the noughties.
Until, they finally settled with a second Promotion in three years from The Championship under Tony Mowbray and Roberto Di Matteo respectively, maintaining their Top Tier status ever since.
The Club, currently managed by Welshman Tony Pulis, challenged for Europa League last season with the goals of Salomon Rondon and the flair of the likes of Nacer Chadli.
Ironically, The Throstles currently sit in ninth place, the exact position that they finished in at the end of the last campaign, epitomizing the consistent nature of their style of play.
Who Is Officiating?
There will be a relatively rare sight to gaze your eyes upon at the Hawthorns on Saturday, as young referee Paul Tierney takes charge of his first top flight game of the season.
To assist him will be the duo of Simon Long and Derek Eaton, as Andy Davies completes the inexperienced team of officials.
So, with all the anticipation of our Game Week Five clash nearly over, Bilic will be praying that we can emulate our 2015/2016 performance in the West Midlands.
Whereas, Pulis will be hoping that he can continue his impressive record of only losing once in his last five games against us as a manager with his trademark style and tactics.
But, who will prevail as autumn kicks in and tensions are raised in the battle for three points on Saturday afternoon?