West Bromwich Albion will make a trip to the Riverside Stadium on Saturday as they are due to face Middlesbrough in their next Championship fixture.
The Baggies, under the tutelage of Slaven Bilic, have enjoyed a superb start to their season as they are placed at the top of the standings with 22 points to their name after 11 games.
Middlesbrough, on the other hand, find themselves just above the relegation zone and it goes without saying that Albion will strive to secure all three points this weekend when they face the Smoggies.
West Bromwich Albion Team News
Ahmed Hegazi has returned to full fitness and will be available for selection this weekend. He played the entire game during Egypt’s 1-0 win over Botswana during the international break.
Defence
Sam Johnstone is the undisputed first-choice custodian for the Throstles and is set to start between the sticks once again in the West Brom lineup. On average, he has made 3.2 saves in every league outing and has a lot of expectations riding on his shoulders.
Semi Ajayi and Kyle Bartley are expected to start in the central defence as usual. Ajayi, in particular, is brimming with a lot of confidence as he has been churning inspiring performances regularly for his side.
While Darnell Furlong is expected to be chalked at the right-back position, Nathan Ferguson could get the nod to start from the left-back slot. They have fared excellently and there is no reason for Bilic to drop them from the West Brom lineup.
Midfield
Bilic is expected to go with Jake Livermore and Romaine Sawyers in the central midfield. If Livermore is given the chance to start, he will be asked to sit deep to dictate the tempo of the game.
Sawyers has been industrious in the middle of the park, mustering shrewd passes and reading the game well. He will definitely look to get forward time and again to test the backline of Jonathan Woodgate’s team.
Meanwhile, Matheus Pereira will be aiming to ink his influence in the game once again as he is likely to start as the central attacking midfielder. He has been consistent in his endeavours and has had a decent season so far.
Attack
Charlie Austin smashed his first goal of the season just before the international break during his side’s 4-2 win over Cardiff City at the Hawthorns. The 30-year-old is expected to be persisted with by Bilic.
Matt Phillips and Grady Diangana could keep their place on the wings. While the former has carved 4 goals and 1 assist in 11 league outings, the latter has bagged 4 goals and 3 assists to his name from 9 league appearances.
West Brom lineup
Statistics Credits: WhoScored
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