[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Lose the matches you expect to win and win the matches you expect to lose.  That's always been the golden rule for Albion, and in recent weeks we've lived up to it in sterling fashion.  But it's difficult to decide what we should be expecting this weekend as we welcome a Liverpool side who sit 6th in the form table and 5th in the actual table, yet have lost three of their last four games including a shockingly uninspired FA Cup outing against Villa (and yes, we know exactly how that feels).  The team which came within a whisker of winning last season's Premier League with the dream strike partnership of Suarez & Sturridge have been huffing and puffing through 2015 relying on the erratic Raheem Sterling, the ageing Steven Gerrard and a few wonderstrikes from Philippe Coutinho to prop them up.  Of course, that's still considerably more raw talent than Albion currently boast, but all the same, it's clear that Liverpool can be stifled with a good performance.

Are we likely to see such a performance?  Last week's win eased a lot of the lingering concerns about relegation, and with Liverpool undoubtedly wanting to "bounce back" following their cup disappointment, it could be that the Reds will simply show up with more desire and fight than Albion this weekend.  Of course, I hope that's not the case; our survival hasn't quite been rubber-stamped yet, and crossing the 40-point line should really be the objective for any club serious about their Premier League status.  As ever, we leave it in the hands of the players; a draw would be a great result for us in this one.

Classic Match

West Bromwich Albion 3-0 Liverpool

FA Premier League: 18th August 2012

GERAAAAAAAAAAAAA!