West Brom v Fulham preview
Long in line for Baggies return; Hughes to make Fulham comeback
Last Updated: September 23, 2011 3:37pm
Hodgson: Baggies boss up against his former club this weekend
Two teams stuck in the Premier League's bottom three meet as West Bromwich Albion entertain Fulham this Saturday.
Both sides are locked on three points with just one win each so far this season, a position neither side expected to be in after promising campaigns last term.
Roy Hodgson also comes up against his former club for the first time as the Baggies boss, having met them just once during his time at Liverpool.
But, after four defeats in their first five games, the West Brom manager will be desperate to kick-start the club's season.
Their only win this season was a 1-0 success at Norwich a fortnight ago, but last weekend's comprehensive 3-0 defeat at Swansea leaves them at the foot of the table.
Martin Jol is yet to win in the Premier League with the Cottagers but has already been in charge of 15 games, with 10 of those being in the Europa League.
They have reached three Premier League points through three draws, the most impressive coming at home to Manchester City last week.
Fulham became the first side to take points off Roberto Mancini's side with a 2-2 draw despite being 2-0 down at one point.
Both sides were dumped out of the Carling Cup after defeats on Wednesday night, with their respective games going to extra time.
West Brom lost out to Everton in a 2-1 defeat at Goodison Park, while Fulham took 10-man Chelsea to penalties before losing.
Team news
Gabriel Tamas will be unavailable as he completes a three-match ban for elbowing Norwich striker James Vaughan.
Striker Shane Long could return to the side after missing the game against Everton after suffering from illness.
Fulham defender Aaron Hughes could make his comeback after missing the previous three games with a knee injury.
Jol is expected to make a number of changes to the side that lost against Chelsea, with Brede Hangeland, Danny Murphy, Damien Duff and Clint Dempsey all likely to re-join the team.
Possible starting XIs:
West Brom: Foster, Reid, Olsson, Dawson, Shorey, Morrison, Scharner, Mulumbu, Thomas, Long, Odemwingie.
Fulham: Schwarzer, Kelly, Hangeland, Hughes, J Riise, Dempsey, Murphy, Sidwell, Duff, Zamora, Dembele.
Matches
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Barclays Premier League
Table
Barclays Premier League
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester United | 38 | 89 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 38 | 78 |
| 3 | Chelsea | 38 | 75 |
| 4 | Arsenal | 38 | 73 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 38 | 72 |
| 6 | Everton | 38 | 63 |
| 7 | Liverpool | 38 | 61 |
| 8 | West Bromwich Albion | 38 | 49 |
| 9 | Swansea City | 38 | 46 |
| 10 | West Ham United | 38 | 46 |
| 11 | Norwich City | 38 | 44 |
| 12 | Fulham | 38 | 43 |
| 13 | Stoke City | 38 | 42 |
| 14 | Southampton | 38 | 41 |
| 15 | Aston Villa | 38 | 41 |
| 16 | Newcastle United | 38 | 41 |
| 17 | Sunderland | 38 | 39 |
| 18 | Wigan Athletic | 38 | 36 |
| 19 | Reading | 38 | 28 |
| 20 | Queens Park Rangers | 38 | 25 |
Aaron Hughes
