Here come the teams at The Hawthorns, and Alan Pardew gets a warm reception from the Baggies supporters.

After being confirmed as West Brom boss this week, Alan Pardew said one of his top priorities was to resolve the future of Northern Irish defender Jonny Evans.

Manchester City, Arsenal and Leicester all failed with summer bids for the 29-year-old Albion captain, whom the Baggies value at over £30m.

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The club plan to offer a new contract and Pardew told the press he was keen to meet Evans after being appointed on Wednesday.

"I am looking forward to seeing him and will have a good old discussion with him." said Pardew.

Evans has a contract until 2019 after joining from Manchester United for £6m, rising to £8m in 2015.

• Read more: Pardew aims to secure future of WBA skipper

Chris Adams: Best of luck to Alan Pardew today. Hope he gets out of the WBA squad the potential that Pulis simply couldn’t. So happy to have the enthusiasm for my club back!

Simon Brotherton
MOTD commentator

It's funny how things turn out in the Premier League managerial merry-go-round.

Alan Pardew was sacked by Crystal Palace a year ago with the team in 17th place. Now he starts work at The Hawthorns with Albion in the same position and facing his former employers in his first game.

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Pardew will be hoping to provide an immediate lift to a side who haven't won in 12 matches.

Palace appear to be on an upward trend with nine points from the last seven games, and secured their first away point at Brighton on Tuesday.

Roy Hodgson's Hawthorns welcome is likely to be a warm one. He led West Brom to a 10th-place finish in 2012 before taking the England job.

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Crystal Palace goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey has suffered a back injury in the warm-up, so substitute keeper Julian Speroni takes his place in the starting line-up.

Not exactly ideal preperation for the Eagles, who are now down to five out of a possible seven substitutes after Scott Dann pulled out through illness.

Head-to-head

• Crystal Palace won the corresponding fixture 2-0 last season courtesy of goals from Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend.
• West Brom have only earned nine points from their last eight home fixtures against Palace (W2, D3, L3).

West Bromwich Albion

• The Baggies have gone nine games without a clean sheet since a goalless home draw against West Ham in mid-September.

• Alan Pardew and Roy Hodgson will meet as opposition managers for the first time since March 2012, when Pardew's Newcastle won a Premier League game 3-1 at West Brom.

Crystal Palace

• Christian Benteke will equal his longest Premier League drought of 11 games without a goal should he fail to score. His last goal came in Palace's 4-0 win over Hull in April.

• Roy Hodgson had a 36% win percentage as West Brom manager and averaged 1.34 points per game - both are Premier League club records.

Mark Lawrenson
Former Liverpool defender

Roy Hodgson just keeps on picking up points here and there and it will not be long until the Palace are off the bottom of the table - but I think Alan Pardew will come out on top in his first game in charge.

Prediction: 2-1

You can see Lawro's full predictions v comedian Nish Kumar here, or have a go yourself in our Predictor game.

In his first game since taking over as West Brom manager, Alan Pardew makes just one change to the side that drew 2-2 with Newcastle United on Tuesday.

Matt Phillips has a hamstring injury and is replaced by Jay Rodriguez; while 19-year-old defender Max Melbourne - who is yet to feature for the Baggies in the Premier League - takes a spot on the bench.

Meanwhile, Roy Hodgson makes two changes to the side that earned a first away point of the season at Brighton last time out.

James McArthur and Martin Kelly come in for James Tomkins and Yohan Cabaye.

Scott Dann is a late omission through illness, meaning Palace start with five substitutes, rather than seven.

So, welcome along.

The congested nature of the Premier League's bottom half - where eight points separate ninth and bottom - probably won't see this game remembered as a decisive one in the grand scheme of the season.

But, certainly as far as Palace are concerned, the opportunity to move off the foot of the table would be welcome.

Shall we get some team news?

Never let it be said that the footballing gods don't have a sense of irony.

After 345 days away from the Premier League, Alan Pardew takes charge of West Bromwich Albion just in time to meet the very club who sacked him three days before Christmas last year.

That club - Crystal Palace - are on their third different permanent boss since then, with Roy Hodgson now in charge of the Eagles.

And, to make it a day of reunions, Hodgson is making his first visit to The Hawthorns as an opposition manager since swapping the Baggies job for England in 2012.

Both clubs are at the wrong end of the Premier League table, but will we see a little mix in the relegation zone standings come full-time?

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