£4m star gets ‘new lease of life’ - West Brom predicted line-up vs Sheffield Wednesday - gallery
Here’s how we think West Brom will line up against Sheffield Wednesday in the Sky Bet Championship on Tuesday.
West Brom are in EFL Championship action again as they host Sheffield Wednesday as part of a double-game week.
The Baggies are high on confidence after inflicting a 4-0 defeat onto Preston North End on Saturday. Some are debating whether it is the best performance seen since Carlos Corberan's appointment in October 2022.
Darnell Furlong, Alex Mowatt, Matthew Phillips and Kyle Bartley were all on target for the men from the Midlands, as they ended the Lilywhites' perfect home record.
Preston had been in and around the top three places for the first opening two months of the season, and Saturday's result at Deepdale left them shell-shocked as West Brom played them off the park.
It's a performance that West Brom are now hoping to build on against a different kind of opposition against Sheffield Wednesday. The Owls are winless this season, and have picked up just two points from a possible 27, and suffered a 3-0 defeat in front of their home supporters against Sunderland at Hillsbrough last Friday.
Spainard Xisco Munoz has come under immense pressure after succeeding former Baggies boss Darren Moore, and a defeat at The Hawthorn’s would make for the worst start in Championship history.
As for team news, there’s a hope that Semi Ajayi could be available after missing the win at the weekend. He rolled his ankle, and only trained on Friday so he will be closely monitored. Adam Reach, Daryl Dike, Josh Maja and Martin Kelly are all long-term absentees, and none of them will be considered for the forseebale future.
In the win against Preston we saw a formation change and a change in player roles, so we think it'll be a 3-4-2-1. With that in mind, here’s the line up we think Corberan could go for on Tuesday night.
1. GK: Alex Palmer
A clean sheet will have done Palmer the world of good. He’s picked up a few as of late, and good teams usually start with a good defence. Photo: George Wood/Getty Images)
2. CB: Erik Pieters
Picked up a knock against Millwall, but fortunately came through just fine. This centre-back three kept a clean sheet versus a Preston side who loved scoring. Photo: Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)
3. CB: Kyle Bartley
The forgotten man (bought for a reported £4m in July 2018) is back! There were question marks as to whether he’d still be at the club this summer having looked to be at a crossroads, but Saturday’s performance was superb. Photo: Ashley Allen/Getty Images
4. CB: Cedric Kipre
Solid option at centre-back. New lease of life since returning this summer. Photo: George Wood/Getty Images)