West Brom predicted XI vs Cardiff: two changes made from Tony Mowbray’s final line-up in charge

Two clubs without permanent managers will collide in the Championship this weekend as West Bromwich Albion travel to Cardiff City in an important game at both ends of the table, with both clubs looking to respond positively to what has been a turbulent week behind the scenes.

West Brom enter the week in 10th position, with their play-off hopes all but ending when they were beaten 3-1 by strugglers Derby County, in a defeat which marked the end of Tony Mowbray’s second stint in charge.

Mowbray failed to win a single away game this season with the Baggies and has seen the dream drop out of the top six after a solid start under predecessor Carlos Corberan, who walked out mid-season to take the job on at Valencia.

Now James Morrison, who played over 300 games for the Baggies across England’s top two divisions, is in charge on an interim basis until the end of the season, as the club’s board aims to whittle down its list of managerial candidates before appointing a permanent coach for next season.

In the opposition dugout, also making his first venture into management is former Arsenal and Juventus midfielder Aaron Ramsey. The Welsh international, now in his second spell as a player with Cardiff City, replaced Omer Riza over the weekend and experienced a damaging 1-1 draw against Oxford United on Monday.

The Welsh side are on the brink of being relegated to the third tier and need three points to have any hopes of taking the battle to the last game of the season. Meanwhile, West Brom, despite having a 0.22% chance of making the play-offs according to Opta will also need three points if they are to remain with a mathematical chance of finishing inside the top six.

Ahead of what promises to be an intriguing battle between two rookie managers, we take a look at the line-up we expect James Morrison to field in south Wales.

Goalkeeper and defence

Young goalkeeper Josh Griffiths is expected to start in between the posts for the fifth time since his loan spell at League One strugglers Bristol Rovers was cut short. He’s tasted defeat in four of his last five and will be keen for improvement.

Elsewhere, at left-back Norwegian summer signing Torbjørn Heggem is expected to make his 44th appearance of the campaign after being a near ever present this season. He plays alongside a familiar centre-back partnership of Kyle Bartley and Everton loanee Mason Holgate, with the experienced Darnell Furlong playing at right-back.

West Brom’s last clean sheet came on the 8th March in a 1-0 victory over QPR, and Morrison will be hoping this backline can keep Cardiff at bay for 90 minutes.

Midfield and attack

Jayson Molumby is expected to have an important role to play in the middle of the park alongside Alex Mowatt, who replaces Ousmane Diakité in the heart of midfield. Ahead of the pair, Callum Styles, January addition Isaac Price and Premier League-linked midfielder Tom Fellow play in a more advanced role to try and provide creativity and cause havoc for a leaky Cardiff backline.

In attack and leading the line is expected to be Southampton loanee Adam Armstrong. He’s expected to replace Tottenham Hotspur loanee Will Lankshear, who is yet to register a league goal in 11 appearances.

West Brom drew 0-0 with Cardiff in their last meeting at the Hawthorns and will hope to end their long wait for a victory on the road after giving their travelling fanbase little to shout about in recent weeks.

West Brom predicted lineup: Griffiths, Heggem, Holgate, Bartley, Furlong, Molumby, Mowatt, Styles, Fellows, Price, Armstrong

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