‘Not great’ – Lee Johnson confirms Bristol City team news ahead of West Brom clash
Bristol City manager Lee Johnson has confirmed that the Robins squad is not in the best condition ahead of their clash with West Brom on Saturday.
It was revealed that Korey Smith is the main doubt in his squad, with the midfielder’s knee potentially needing to be drained of fluid.
Johnson shared that Smith could feature at Ashton Gate depending on what decision the specialist decides to take in the next couple of days.
Johnson confirmed that he only had 12 players in training on Wednesday, highlighting the trouble his current squad is in.
“Not great, if I’m honest,” he said, via the Bristol Post.
“We have had a few. yesterday we only trained with 12, so there were a few additions to our list. However, I do expect that to quickly turn and hopefully, we’ll be training with a nigh-on fully fit 20 come Friday.
“The main player in question probably is Korey Smith. We speak over the next few hours, the specialist will decide whether to drain the fluid on his knee or whether to leave him. If they leave him, there’s a chance he might be fit for Saturday.”
Bilic will be relishing the trip on Saturday, especially now that he knows he will be coming up against a significantly weaker home side that are coming off the back of a tiring defeat against Leeds United.
Baggies fans will be wanting a repeat of the reverse fixture, with the Midlands side taking home all three points with a commanding 4-1 victory at the Hawthorns, in a game that Matheus Pereira ran them ragged.
West Brom completed nearly 100 more passes on that evening, as well as having six more attempts on goal according to WhoScored – a similar performance could see the Baggies seal all three points once again.
In other West Brom news, Kevin Phillips has commented on the officiating during the 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest