West Bromwich Albion‘s season went from bad to worse when they were knocked out of the EFL Cup by Brentford on Tuesday. The Baggies have lost both of their opening games of the Premier League season, and it doesn’t get any easier.
Albion will face Chelsea on Saturday at the Hawthorns, which will be yet another difficult game for them.
West Brom manager Slaven Bilic will need to try something different in this game and get some points on the board as the Baggies could fall way below the pack in the relegation dogfight.
Early Team News: Bilic has to contend with several injuries for Saturday’s game. Strikers Kenneth Zohore and Hal Robson-Kanu will most likely miss the game, while Ahmed Hegazi and Kamil Grosicki may not be available. Kieran Gibbs is suspended after being sent off in the loss to Everton last time around.
Let’s take a look at the possible West Brom XI against Chelsea:
Predicted West Brom Lineup vs Chelsea
Goalkeeper
Sam Johnstone has started both Premier League games and he should retain his place in the starting XI for the Baggies.
Defence
Bilic could retain his five-man backline, who have to be at their best against a strong Chelsea attack. Former Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic played his first minutes for West Brom in the loss to Brentford, but he is not fully match-fit for Saturday’s game.
Cedric Kipre could perhaps play in defence in place of Semi Ajayi, while Kyle Bartley and Dara O’Shea could start as the other two centre-backs.
Conor Townsend should replace the suspended Gibbs at left-back, while Darnell Furlong should start at right-back in the West Brom lineup. The defence has conceded a whopping eight goals in their opening two league games, and will need to put in better defensive showings if they are to pick up some points.
Midfield
Captain Jake Livermore should start in midfield, and he could be joined by the young Sam Field in the middle of the park. Romaine Sawyers hasn’t been very impressive in the middle of the park which could force Bilic to play the 22-year-old Field.
Matheus Pereira, who scored a goal and assisted another in last weekend’s loss to Everton, should start on the right side, with the exciting Grady Diangana on the other side.
Attack
Injuries to Zohore and Robson-Kanu means that Callum Robinson should start up front in the West Brom lineup. Charlie Austin is an option off the bench for Bilic.