Alex Mowatt decision made, Karlan Grant axed – West Brom predicted XI v Middlesbrough
Carlos Corberan will be eager to return to winning ways at West Brom when Middlesbrough travel to The Hawthorns on Tuesday 1 October.
The Baggies fell to their first Championship defeat of the season in the 3-2 loss to Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday [28 September] with Anthony Musaba securing the three points at Hillsborough late on.
Corberan is expected to make minor tweaks to his West Brom side to welcome promotion rivals to town.
Alex Mowatt and Mikey Johnston to return for West Brom
Albion had conceded only two goals in the Championship before the match against Wednesday and, despite shipping in more goals at Hillsborough than had been conceded prior, Corberan will be expected to continue with his strongest defensive selections.
Alex Palmer should return between the sticks with the usual setup of Darnell Furlong and Torbjoern Heggem at full-back with Kyle Bartley and Sam Ajayi resuming their partnership in central defence.
Ousmane Diakite struggled on the weekend in his first start for the Baggies, Alex Mowatt replaced the 24-year-old and scored what he thought to be the equaliser and should make his return to the starting lineup against superior opposition in Middlesbrough.
Uros Racic should continue in defensive midfield alongside Mowatt. Jayson Molumby is nearing a return to match fitness but shouldn’t be risked with his Serbian teammate more than capable enough of performing the role.
John Swift and Tom Fellows further up the pitch pick themselves, the pair have been exceptional for West Brom this season and should continue their undroppable form in the best-attacking setup in the Championship.
Karlan Grant, on the other hand, offered little to no attacking threat against Sheffield Wednesday, and with the quick turnaround until the clash on Tuesday, Mikey Johnston should return to the starting lineup.
Josh Maja continued his goalscoring form with his seventh league goal in as many appearances, he should be the undisputed spearhead of the West Brom attack until Daryl Dike returns from his sustained absence to challenge the Nigerian.
In other West Brom news, the Baggies make a ‘smart’ Carlos Corberan exit decision amid Everton developments.
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