Carlos Corberan to make Tom Fellows decision after Jed Wallace blow – Predicted West Brom XI v Leicester City
Carlos Corberan could yet make a decision on youngster Tom Fellows for Saturday’s Championship lunchtime clash with Leicester City after a new West Brom injury blow on Jed Wallace.
The forward was the subject of plenty of concern after Corberan told the media Wallace was in “a lot of pain” after coming off the pitch in their 1-0 win over Cardiff City on Tuesday (28 November).
While he couldn’t confirm the extent of the injury or any diagnosis for what had happened, Wallace took to his personal Twitter account (29 November) to share that he hoped his injury won’t be too serious.
Not only Wallace will have his fingers tightly crossed in the hope of a swift return, but West Brom as a whole will be praying the injury blow is not a serious one.
And it seems as if Wallace could well sit out of Saturday’s game against league leaders Leicester City at The Hawthorns (2 December) which could force Corberan to call upon academy starlet Fellows for his first start, after impressing in several cameos or the Spaniard could call upon Brandon Thomas-Asante or the returning Josh Maja.
Corberan dropped Thomas-Asante to the bench against the Bluebirds while Maja has only just returned to full fitness, having made a cameo appearance on Tuesday.
The Baggies will be looking to make it six Championship wins from their last seven games when they take on the Foxes on home territory and Corberan could keep the same team which triumphed in midweek with just one change.
Alex Palmer should continue in goal on the back of his impressive form this season, having kept his eighth and nine clean sheets against Ipswich Town and Cardiff.
In defence, Corberan will be desperate for solidity once again and should stick with Darnell Furlong and Conor Townsend as his two full-backs, with Kyle Bartley partnering Cedric Kipre once more at the heart of the defence.
In midfield, Alex Mowatt should keep his place at the expense of Nathaniel Chalobah after an influential display against the Bluebirds, providing the crucial assist for Jeremy Sarmiento’s solitary strike, while winning six of his total duels, completing three long balls, registering one key pass, and completing 92% of his passes [SofaScore] in a dominant midfield display.
Alongside him, trusted Corberan midfield lieutenant Okay Yokuslu should keep his place after having a crucial hand in West Brom’s ninth clean sheet this season – the most in the division [Transfermarkt].
In attack, Sarmiento could well keep his place after his match-winning display and stunning strike in Wales on Tuesday, but Corberan has a critical decision to make whether to start Fellows in place of Jed Wallace or recall striker Thomas-Asante or Maja up-front.
John Swift and Grady Diangana should keep their starting places against the Foxes on Saturday but the decision remains with Corberan whether to start with a recognised striker in another crucial and high-profile Championship fixture.
In other West Brom news, the prospective owners have been proved spot on over Tom Fellows.