Rob Jarvis

Thu 3 December 2020 18:00, UK

Lewis Jones has backed Crystal Palace to beat West Brom in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon at the Hawthorns.

The Sky Sports pundit has predicted that the Baggies will lose 2-1, failing to back up their first win of the season against Sheffield United.

Palace arrive in the midlands on the back of some poor results, losing against both Burnley and Newcastle in the past fortnight.

Writing in his Sky Sports prediction blog, Jones admitted that the negative stats will eventually catch up on the Albion this season.

“Even Slaven Bilic looked apologetic when shaking Chris Wilder’s hand last weekend as West Brom broke their winless run,” he said. “How they survived with a clean sheet despite conceding an xG figure of 3.37 is a mystery wrapped in a riddle.

“Despite a much-needed three points, the Baggies still remain statistically the worst team in the Premier League. Results eventually catch up with this type of performance data and Bilic will do well to keep their heads above water.

“I’m happy to take them on this weekend with reliable travellers Palace, who are playing with slightly more adventure this season.”

West Brom will see this as a massive opportunity.

Slaven Bilic will have taken three points in any circumstance, and although the Blades missed plenty of chances, the Baggies deserved that luck.

A home clash with Palace is a great chance to make it two-in-a-row. Wilfried Zaha is likely to return, and he must be stopped.

Zaha is the only Palace player to score more than once this season with five, and he also averages the most shots on goal and key passes per game according to WhoScored.

If the Ivorian is stopped, the Baggies will have more than a massive chance and hopefully, the opposite of Jones’ prediction comes true.

In other West Brom news, Kamil Grosicki explains WBA under-23s inclusion on Monday

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