Beating WBA is just as important as beating Man Utd

Getting up for a game against WBA is just as important as beating Chelsea or Man Utd. I am glad that Eddie Howe has put a quiet word out to the players to forgo the Christmas parties and to concentrate on putting in performances to get as many points as they can during this period of fixture pile ups. I'm not Scrooge but traditionally the Cherries have done well over the holiday period and it will need a massive effort in the next few weeks to try and pull clear and fully away from the relegation zone.

WBA will be looking to appease their defeat the last time they played the Cherries.

Eddie is always saying though that he could not wish for a more hard working set of lads and they'll be prepared to put the work in. Taking on WBA though is no easy fixture. Against Liverpool you could see that they are a team that enjoy a battle and do not hold back in the tackle. The Cherries have to be clever to not get sucked into a match where the game is disrupted to the extent that there is little football played. 

While Eddie Howe may worry about the heading power of players like Jonas Olsson and Rickie Lambert if selected to play, the Albion do have some creative midfielders in Chris Brunt and Callum McManaman if Tony Pulis chooses to play them. But it is Saido Berahino that is the big question mark. Tony Pulis played Saido in a midweek U21 game against a Swansea side, but has not been selected to start in the last five Premier League games. Pulis believes he has to work on his match fitness so he may not start against the Cherries. 

The Cherries have to give WBA some problems though and the more trouble they can provide in terms of pace and movement, the easier afternoon they will have. Stanislas and King may well enjoy their chances against a defensive unit that is big but not the quickest on the turn and three points against the Baggies would start to put the pressure on the sides chasing the Cherries.