Carlos Corberan has some decisions to make ahead of this Saturday as West Brom make the short trip to take on Stoke City at the bet365 Stadium.
Albion look to maintain their unbeaten start to the Championship season when they take on Steven Schumacher’s Potters, who come off the back of a heavy defeat at Watford.
An away victory over QPR and a goalless draw with Leeds United will be food for thought for Corberan, as to whether he decides to tweak his line-up or continue with the trusted XI which has started both league matches so far.
Whilst the Spaniard’s side early on has looked a settled one, the decision could be made more difficult by Grady Diangana’s return last week from injury, with Jed Wallace also featuring against Leeds after a calf injury ruled him out on the opening weekend.
Defensive midfielder Uros Racic has been declared unavailable for the matchday squad, having completed a loan move from Sassuolo late in the week, due to a work permit issue [Birmingham Live, 23 August].
West Brom News predicts the line-up Corberan will opt for in Staffordshire on Saturday, in their new yellow and blue away kit for the first time in the league.
West Brom likely to be unchanged
It may be a case of choosing not to fix what isn’t currently broken for the Baggies at present, and Corberan may hang fire with what he has.
Alex Palmer will start in goal after last week’s clean sheet, which will give him the feeling of being off and running for the campaign.
Darnell Furlong is in line to continue at right-back, with he and centre-half Kyle Bartley both playing all 180 minutes of the league season to date.
Semi Ajayi – who has stepped in for the departed Cedric Kipre – has done a sterling job early doors and should partner Bartley, whilst new boy Torbjorn Heggem is likely to start again at left-back to complete the quartet.
West Brom making use of Jayson Molumby after controversial pre-season
Alex Mowatt – along with Palmer and three of the back line – are the only players to have played every minute so far in the Championship, and he will be the midfield anchor once again.
Jayson Molumby has restored his stock following his pre-season controversy and subsequent links away from the club, and should again keep new signing Ousmane Diakite out of the XI.
New Serbian signing Racic will not be eligible to face Stoke due to his ongoing work permit situation to sort out.
Tom Fellows has enjoyed a great start to the season and has made the right-hand side of Corberan’s bank of three his own, and John Swift will again be the creative hub in the number 10 role.
Despite Diangana and Wallace both returning last weekend – the former for six minutes – Karlan Grant should be once again deployed on the left flank to make it his position to lose.
There is no doubt Diangana will return to the XI sooner or later, but Grant has done nothing of note to lose the shirt so far with the team still unbeaten.
Josh Maja is a no-brainer to spearhead the attack – he remains the only man to net for West Brom in the league this season, and he’s managed it three times.
In other West Brom news, an intriguing new move could be on the cards for Saido Berahino.
