Alex Mowatt & Matt Clarke in contention to start for West Brom v Birmingham
Valerien Ismael has confirmed that Alex Mowatt and Matt Clarke are in contention to start for West Brom against Birmingham.
The Baggies duo have been struggling with injury problems, but it appears as though the international break has done them both good.
Ismael suggested that Clarke will need to be looked after more than Mowatt, but believed that both are ready if called upon.
Speaking to the press via the Express and Star, Ismael shared the latest on their problems going into this game.
“For us it’s good news – it’s a relief for us that it’s not broken,” he said.
“Normally, as long as something doesn’t happen and change overnight, he’ll be okay for the game.”
The same can be said for Clarke, who was training with his new looked shaved head this week ahead of the clash.
“He’s back in training, back in the squad and trained very well. Now we need to manage him through these games. He is fine, he is available, he trained well.”
Excellent.
This is exactly what the doctor ordered, and surely makes us strong favourites to pick up all three points this evening.
Mowatt in midfield is the main one.
The former Barnsley man has become a key figure in this side under Ismael, with his work rate and ability to score important goals a vital part of our success so far this season.
Clarke is also a huge boost, with Kean Bryan and Cedric Kipre still clearly not trusted to start in the Championship.
Conor Townsend has been filling in the gap in the back three, and although he hasn’t done too bad, moving him back to his preferred left wing-back spot will be critical.
The international break has been good to us, and it is time that these two are named in the starting XI and return a lot nearer to our strongest side.
In other West Brom news, David Prutton has predicted the result of the Baggies clash against Birmingham this evening