Josh Maja must feature for West Brom v Preston North End after what he did on Monday
Carlos Corberan must ensure that Josh Maja plays a part for West Brom against Preston North End at The Hawthorns on Saturday (4 May).
The Baggies are set for a tense finish to the Championship season.
With a play-off place at one point seeming a certainty, Corberan’s side could yet slip out of the top six on the final day of the campaign.
Should they lose to Preston while Hull City win at Plymouth Argyle, the Lions would take the final play-off spot from right under the Baggies’ noses.
However, a point should secure their position due to their superior goal difference, and three points could yet see them finish fifth.
Regardless, Corberan won’t want to leave West Brom’s fate up to results elsewhere, and he must ensure that his side claim maximum points at The Hawthorns.
And Maja has demonstrated this week that he is ready to play a part in helping the club do just that.
Josh Maja must feature for West Brom against Preston North End
Maja has struggled with injuries since arriving at West Brom from Bordeaux.
As part of an attempt to build up his match sharpness following his latest setback, the striker featured for the club’s Under-21s on Monday (29 April), bagging a brace and providing an assist in a 4-2 win over Leeds United’s Under-21s.
It was a clear message to Corberan that he is ready to play a part on Saturday.
The 25-year-old hasn’t started for the Baggies since their 2-1 defeat to Sunderland at the Stadium of Light (9 December), where he completed 86 per cent of his passes and won 100 per cent of his ground duels before coming off injured in the 36th minute (Sofascore).
In the match before this, a 2-1 home defeat to Leicester City (2 December), Maja scored his first and only senior goal for the club so far, as he came off the bench and got himself on the scoresheet while completing 100 per cent of his passes.
Maja’s most recent appearance under Corberan once again arrived in a 2-1 defeat to Leicester, this time at the King Power Stadium (20 April), where he was introduced in the 82nd minute.
It was a difficult outing for the Nigerian as he failed to have a shot, engage in a duel or even register a touch of the ball.
Nonetheless, West Brom are on a poor run of form having lost their last three consecutive matches, and Corberan is clearly in need of some inspiration.
After his Under-21s appearance on Monday, Maja might be ready to provide exactly that.
In other West Brom news, Corberan cannot afford to repeat a Jed Wallace mistake against Preston.
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