Early Stoke City team news v West Brom: Dwight Gayle decision made by Alex Neil
Tyrese Campbell is set to miss out for Stoke City while Dwight Gayle will be available to face his former club West Brom, according to boss Alex Neil.
West Brom will get to answer whether or not they can do it on a cold evening in Stoke as they travel to the bet365 Stadium to take on their Championship rivals in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday 8 August.
It is the first time the two sides have ever met in the competition and Stoke manager Neil has provided an update on the availability of two of his stars ahead of the clash, including Gayle, who played for the Baggies on loan during the 2018/19 season.
Speaking to the press, Neil said, “Tyrese at the moment isn’t going to be quite right. We don’t know the length of it in terms of timeframe for the injury but he’s not going to be available for this one,” as reported by Stokesentinel (7 August).
When asked about the availability of Gayle, Neil responded, “Dwight’s been on the grass. He missed a chunk of pre-season and has done the last two weeks and he’s done a lot of hard work on his own. He’s got himself up to speed and he’ll be involved in this game.”
Reunion
Gayle was a big hit in the West Midlands during his time at The Hawthorns. He played 39 times in the Championship for the club and scored on 23 occasions while also providing eight assists as West Brom finished in the play-off places.
The Baggies would lose the Championship Play-Off semi-finals to Aston Villa, and the 33-year-old had a big impact on the result, scoring once while also being sent off for two bookable offences, a bitter end to his time with the club.
With it now confirmed that the striker will get set to line up against his old team during their cup tie, supporters will be weary of what he can do against them.
While the Carabao Cup won’t be the biggest of either side’s priorities, supporters always enjoy a cup run, and a win this early in the season could be massive in terms of confidence for Carlos Corberan’s men meaning they will be looking to keep Gayle quiet to help get that result.
In other West Brom news, the club could miss out on a key target as transfer news emerges.