West Brom handed big boost ahead of clash v Newcastle
Newcastle United players will return to training today, ahead of their potential meeting with West Brom this weekend.
The club released a short statement in a tweet on Tuesday morning, confirming that the training ground would be re-opening.
Newcastle saw their game with Aston Villa postponed last week and were forced to temporarily close their training ground following an outbreak of COVID-19 cases.
The Daily Mail report that Saturday’s game at St. James’ Park is still at risk, but this is a step in the right direction for both clubs and a boost for West Brom who won’t want to fall behind on fixtures.
The report adds that there is no deadline as to when the clubs can request a postponement, so any decision could come later in the week if required.
It is claimed that players making their own way to the stadium separately could increase the game’s chances of going ahead.
Crunch time for Bilic
West Brom go into the match in wretched form, winning one of their last five games in the Premier League.
The meeting with Steve Bruce’s side has been dubbed a must-win for Slaven Bilic, who could lose his job with a poor result on Saturday.
The Athletic’s Steve Madeley has suggested Bilic could have just one game to turn things around at West Brom, with the Baggies sitting 19th in the league on just six points.
Newcastle head into the game having not played since November 27, when they beat Crystal Palace 2-0. Steve Bruce’s side have taken seven points from their last five games and find themselves 13th in the Premier League.
They’ve also not been able to train properly for almost two weeks. That gives West Brom a big boost in very unfortunate circumstances.
With Manchester City, Liverpool and Leeds United to come before the end of the year, Bilic will surely be hoping he gets the opportunity to secure a positive result against Newcastle this weekend.
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