Taylor Gardner-Hickman to start, Nathaniel Chalobah ruled out – West Brom predicted XI v Sunderland
Carlos Corberan is likely to make changes to his West Brom starting lineup for the huge Championship clash with Sunderland on Sunday (23 April).
The Baggies sit just one point outside the playoff spots after back-to-back wins over Stoke and Hull, and now host fellow playoff-hopefuls Sunderland at The Hawthorns.
But they’ll have to do it without several first-team players who have been ruled out through injury, forcing the manager into some big decisions.
Alex Palmer’s return to the starting lineup in recent weeks has coincided with a return to winning ways and he has now firmly established himself as the number one goalkeeper at the club.
Darnell Furlong and Connor Townsend have made the full-back positions their own too, while Semi Ajayi put a period of rocky form behind him and should slot in alongside Erik Pieters in the middle.
Kyle Bartley is expected to be fit enough to at least make the bench for the game after missing the last two, but he’s unlikely to come into the starting lineup considering recent results.
Nathaniel Chalobah is expected to miss the rest of the season with the ankle injury he picked up against Hull, but that should provide an opportunity for academy starlet Taylor Gardner-Hickman to start again after his goal in that game.
He’ll be joined by Jayson Molumby in the heart of midfield, while Jake Livermore is pushing for a recall after a period of time out injured.
Further forward Corberan is still without Grady Diangana and Matty Phillips with long-term injuries, while striker Daryl Dike is likely to miss around nine months after undergoing achilles surgery.
That should see an unchanged attacking unit named with Karlan Grant, John Swift and Jed Wallace lining up behind Brandon Thomas-Asante although Tom Rogic is also pushing for a start in the number ten role.
In other West Brom news, Tony Mowbray has shared what he read about the anti-Lai protests this week.