Two changes to be made, Callum Robinson to get rare start – West Brom predicted XI vs Hull City
West Brom are still searching for their first win of the Championship season as we enter match day five at The Hawthorns against Hull City on Saturday.
The Baggies have opened their campaign with draws against Middlesbrough, Watford and Cardiff as well as a defeat to Blackburn Rovers, plus a Carabao Cup win over Sheffield United.
But as Steve Bruce prepares to take on one of his former clubs, he must make a decision on how to finally unlock the attacking potential of the side to get three much needed points so early on in the season.
In goal David Button hasn’t done anything wrong despite the negative results so far this season and has performed well enough to maintain his number one status, and should start in goal.
Taylor Gardner-Hickman impressed as a right-back in the Carabao Cup game win, but Darnell Furlong is the established first-choice full-back and it seems unlikely that Bruce will change it after a clean sheet.
Semi Ajayi and Dara O’Shea have cemented themselves as the first-choice centre backs and have turned in good performance after good performance this season, leaving Kyle Bartley on the sidelines watching on. Conor Townsend is the only senior left-back at the club and will start too.
In midfield captain Jake Livermore has started every league game so far, but Okay Yokuslu is now fit and able to start and that could be a big change the manager takes.
The two of them started together in midweek and there was a lack of progressive passing into the forward areas. With Yokuslu the better holding midfielder he should get the nod, with Jayson Molumby likely to come back into the side ahead of Livermore.
Further forward Bruce needs to find a way to get more goals into the team.
Jed Wallace has been impressive on the right wing since joining from Millwall and John Swift is a goalscoring midfielder from the number ten role, so both should continue in their roles.
But Grady Diangana, despite impressive performances, could be the man to step out of the side as Bruce looks to re-connect the partnership between Callum Robinson and Karlan Grant in attack.
Last season only the pairing of Harry Wilson and Aleksandr Mitrovic combined for more goals than the West Brom duo, so putting them together again could be one way of finding the back of the net more regularly.
Predicted West Brom XI vs Hull: Button; Furlong, O’Shea, Ajayi, Townsend; Yokuslu, Molumby; Wallace, Swift, Robinson; Grant
In other West Brom news, Sky Sports pundit predicts the result of West Brom’s clash v Hull