Premier League preview: West Brom v Everton

Pride will be the only thing on the line when West Brom play host to Everton at The Hawthorns on Saturday.

Both teams are resting comfortably in mid-table, Everton in seventh place with 51 points and West Brom in 13th position on 43.

But with Everton seven points adrift of fifth-placed Liverpool with two games remaining, the lure of a Europa League berth is just out of reach for David Moyes’ side.

Similarly, Roy Hodgson’s West Brom are seven points clear of 18th-placed Blackpool, and have already secured their place in the English Premier League for a second successive season.

After looking like relegation contenders at the end of February, West Brom got a move on in March with a 3-1 win over Birmingham, before following a 2-2 draw against Arsenal with wins over Liverpool and Sunderland.

They finally secured Premier League survival with a 2-1 win over Aston Villa last month – their first in 26 years – but were comprehensively beaten 3-1 by Wolves in their last league start.

After a lacklustre start to their campaign, Everton finally clicked into gear in October with a 2-0 win over Liverpool, and the highlights of their season must be a pair wins over Manchester City, although Moyes would no doubt trade them to have secured City’s Champions League berth.

A 2-1 win over FA Cup finalists City was Moyes’ men most recent outing, and he has made his intentions of a strong finish to the league campaign clear.

Both managers have key personnel out of action ahead of the fixture, with Moyes missing Marouane Fellaini and Louis Saha with ankle injuries.

Hodgson, meanwhile, will be without midfielder Graham Dorrans as he recovers from an ankle injury, defender Steven Reid has missed the past two games with a calf complaint, as has his captain Chris Brunt with a hamstring concern.