Lewis Jones predicts West Brom clash v Palace, backs Mbaye Diagne to score
Lewis Jones has backed West Brom to beat Crystal Palace in their upcoming Premier League clash on Saturday afternoon.
Sam Allardyce has told his squad that only wins matter at this stage of the season, with the gap to 17th currently sitting at eight points.
The Sky Sports pundit has predicted that the Baggies will leave London with a 2-1 victory which will be vital to any survival bid.
Writing in his Sky Sports prediction column, Jones claimed that he is willing to back Diagne one final time in the trip to Selhurst Park.
“When it comes to West Brom strikers leaving a legacy, Mbaye Diagne is closer to Markus Rosenberg than Geoff Horsfield on that particular spectrum,” he said.
“Just one goal in eight games is a pretty wretched record but that only tells half the story – he has been the nearly man for the Baggies and could have been the next Horsfield with a bit more luck.
“However, I am willing to roll the dice one more time with Diagne – considering this weekend’s opponents. Diagne can star for the away side by scoring first here in an overdue win.”
Diagne has been superb since moving, but one big thing is missing.
The Senegalese colossus needs to start finding the back of the net, and his one goal hasn’t and won’t be enough if we are to survive this season.
As Jones points out, no player has been expected to score more than Diagne since he arrived, so he can’t complain about the service handed to him in the final third.
We need to start seeing results, and immediately.
There isn’t much better chance than Palace, either, with the Eagles having only won once in their previous six fixtures, and not at home since January.
In other West Brom news, the Baggies make move and sign big defender Kevin Joshua