John Eustace shares West Brom verdict ahead of St Andrew’s clash
West Brom have a playoff-level squad and will prove a challenge for Birmingham City, according to John Eustace.
As quoted from the print edition of The Mirror (6 October, pg 54), the Blues boss praised Carlos Corberan’s side ahead of their Championship clash on Friday (6 October).
The Baggies sit just one point above the Blues ahead of the clash despite being seven places higher.
Eustace said: “West Brom have a top-six squad and a top-six starting XI. We’ll certainly have to be on our toes.”
Important
Just two points separate West Brom in fifth and Millwall in 14th, so the Championship is looking quite congested as the Baggies take the short trip across Birmingham.
Birmingham’s 15 points give them a slight advantage over some sides around them, but after a mixed bag of results this season, a big win against the Baggies would be desired.
As Eustace notes, however, Corberan’s side could prove a challenge. With four clean sheets in their last five Championship matches, the likes of Cedric Kipre and Kyle Bartley have maintained excellent standards to help keep the goals out.
Offensively, West Brom have proved devastating. Their 4-0 victory to Preston showed that the Baggies were capable of turning it on when needed, and John Swift has emerged as the biggest attacking threat with five goals already this season.
Corberan would have been frustrated with just a 1-0 win against Sheffield Wednesday considering his side’s attacking dominance. 17 shots to Wednesday’s four should have resulted in a more favourable scoreline, but West Brom will be facing a much stronger defence at St Andrew’s.
Jeremy Sarmiento’s absence could be a big blow too following his injury against the Owls, with the club confirming (4 October) that the Brighton loanee could be out for four weeks with a muscle injury.
Corberan’s side must use their “top-six” quality squad to earn a big win away from home to help cement their spot in the playoff spaces.
In other West Brom news, a Baggies ace has received heavy praise after his recent impressive displays.