Brandon Thomas-Asante to return – West Brom predicted XI v Sheffield Wednesday
Carlos Corberan could bring Brandon Thomas-Asante back into the West Brom starting line-up against Sheffield Wednesday after the striker served his one-match ban.
Thomas-Asante was sent off for two bookable offences – committed within two minutes of each other – shortly before the break in the Baggies’ 1-0 defeat against Sunderland on 13 April.
As a result, he missed West Brom’s last fixture – a 2-1 loss against title-chasing Leicester City – with Jed Wallace required to fill in as the centre-forward due to Daryl Dike’s injury and Josh Maja’s relative lack of fitness.
However, the striker’s return should see Corberan slot him straight back into the side, given the lack of viable, available alternatives in the squad – as well as the 25-year-old’s status as the team’s top scorer, with 11 Championship goals in 37 appearances this term.
Carlos Corberan to shuffle West Brom back to normal against Sheffield Wednesday?
Thomas-Asante’s inclusion could prompt something of a reshuffle from the line-up Corberan deployed at the King Power Stadium against Leicester.
The Baggies’ head coach fielded a more experimental line-up against the Foxes, with Yann M’Vila a surprise inclusion in midfield alongside Alex Mowatt. Grady Diangana shifted out to the right with Wallace leading the line, while Okay Yokuslu dropped into the back line from his usual midfield role to form a three-man central defensive unit alongside Kyle Bartley and Cedric Kipre.
With Thomas-Asante returning to start as the central striker, Wallace could move back out to his favoured role as a right winger, freeing Diangana to move back inside and operate behind the centre-forward. M’Vila could then be the man to make way, with Yokuslu potentially pushing back up into midfield alongside Mowatt, meaning a return to a four-man defence.
Aside from the long-term absences of Dike and Jayson Molumby, Corberan’s only injury concern to deal with is a slight doubt over Tom Fellows, and head coach could limit his alterations to just one change of personnel and a tactical reshuffle back to the side’s usual 4-2-3-1 shape.
In other West Brom news, supporters will be fearful after Corberan provided an update on Fellows.
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