Brandon Thomas-Asante axed as Grady Diangana starts – West Brom predicted XI v Birmingham
Brandon Thomas-Asante could be dropped in just one change for West Brom for the game against Birmingham City on Friday (6 October).
The 24-year-old forward could be replaced by Grady Diangana in the starting lineup after he came off the bench in the 1-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday (3 October).
The 25-year-old winger had been suffering from illness before the midweek fixture, but Carlos Corberan told BirminghamLive on Thursday (5 October) that he has recovered and is fully fit ahead of the derby game at St Andrew’s.
With the Albion boss pondering whether or not to make changes to his side, he said there is “no one rule in this situation”.
“The best moment to change things is when you are winning football games,” added Corberan. “It’s like a commitment – when the players go, they know they need to play well because you can add more players to the squad.
“At the same time, when you find stability in the team, it’s difficult to change because you can break the harmony of the players who are playing together.
“The answer is to find a good balance and to find consistency. It’s more important in this case to evaluate how the players are and evaluate the players who weren’t playing to see what they can bring.
The work of the coach is like an art – one part is purely subjective. As soon as something is subjective, you have to use your intuition. Part of this decision is about analysing the opponent too.”
With that in mind, the Spaniard is predicted to make just one change that will see him revert to the starting lineup that secured a 4-0 win at high-flying Preston on Saturday (30 September).
That means Alex Palmer will once again play in goal, with the keeper looking to build upon his impressive recent form in between the sticks, having kept three clean sheets in a row.
Despite Semi Ajayi returning to full fitness, Cedric Kipre will continue in defence alongside Kyle Bartley and Erik Pieters in a back three after the trio have been crucial to the Baggies’ success over the past week.
Darnell Furlong will keep his place at right wing-back after being an almost ever-present under Corberan, while Matt Phillips will once again get the nod at left wing-back following a number of solid displays.
After building up an excellent partnership in the middle of the park over the past week, Okay Yokuslu and Alex Mowatt will once again start in midfield, with the latter really standing out since breaking into the side recently.
Diangana will start on the right-hand side of the forward line, with John Swift looking to cause problems as he cuts inside in his usual role off the left and Jed Wallace leading the line as he did against Preston.
Corberan could be slightly concerned about sending a similar side out for the third time in less than a week, but with the international break coming up after the fixture, he will want his best players on the pitch as Albion look to record a victory over their city rivals.
In other West Brom news, Corberan has revealed two stars are available for the Birmingham clash after returning to 100 per cent fitness.