Valerien Ismael claims ‘everything is possible’ ahead of West Brom v Brighton
Valerien Ismael has claimed ‘everything is possible’ as West Brom prepare for their FA Cup clash with Brighton.
The Hawthorns will welcome the Premier League side for the third-round cup tie on Saturday afternoon (January 8).
The tie will be a welcome distraction for the Baggies league form and a good chance to test themselves against topflight opposition.
“Everything is possible in one game.” He told West Brom’s official website.
“It’s great to be part of it and it’s a great opportunity for us to compete against a Premier League side and to see where we are and where we want to be. It’s the right game for us.
“It’s good to have a change of focus sometimes and this game on Saturday gives us that.
“We have to be relentless out of possession and press with intensity because we know that Brighton will try to have more possession than some of the teams we come up against in the Championship.
“I’m looking forward to assessing our situation against a Premier League club.”
Free hit
It would be nice to go on a cup run but West Brom’s main concern should be the league.
The Baggies find themselves closer to seventh than they are to second place in the table and are dangerously close to falling out of the promotion places.
Everyone at the club would much rather fix that and have the chance to face Premier League opposition week in week out rather than look forward to a one-off cup tie.
It is a really good distraction from the league and allows the players to go out and play with no pressure, something that could help them when returning to Championship action against Queens Park Rangers and for the remainder of the season.
Playing with nothing to lose would be a breath of fresh air for Ismael and his players as the onus is more often than not on them to produce results.
A positive result and maybe even some goals on Saturday could be the catalyst in turning Albion’s season around.
In other Baggies news, Joseph Chapman shares remaining January transfer plans for West Brom.