View: West Brom player with two apps in 20/21 could return v Palace after major update
West Brom could have some injury worries to deal with ahead of their Premier League clash with Crystal Palace on Sunday.
The Baggies finally got their first win of the season against Sheffield United, but it came with the disappointment of Conor Townsend being forced off.
Townsend suffered from a knee problem and was replaced by Matt Phillips with only 15 minutes to play at the Hawthorns.
Slaven Bilic has commented on the blow and admitted that the Albion are hoping and praying over his availability.
Who could replace him?
Kieran Gibbs hasn’t featured since being sent off in the heavy defeat against Everton and has endured a rollercoaster fortnight.
The experienced defender tested positive for COVID-19 before the Manchester United game and didn’t return to the squad against the Blades, with suggestions he was still feeling under the weather.
With another week of training or rest behind him, he should be physically fine to return at the Hawthorns this weekend if needed.
The 31-year-old has only featured twice this season in the Premier League, completing 140 minutes of action before his dismissal.
Gibbs did complete 10 interceptions and five clearances in that time according to WyScout and didn’t do much wrong during that time.
The Baggies did concede eight goals though, and his red card played a big part in that after he showed poor decision making to react to James Rodriguez.
With the prospect of facing Wilfried Zaha, Gibbs will need to disciplined if selected. If not, he could find himself heavily exposed and could be a massive problem for the Baggies.
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