Right now, The Hawthorns is a good place to be, especially in light of the announcement that Shilen Patel has officially taken over as West Bromwich Albion’s new owner and the Baggies’ respectable run of results in the Championship.
In the fiercely contested second division, West Brom has only dropped one of their previous five games. Coach Carlos Corberan’s team is hoping to go three games without losing tonight as they take on Coventry City.
But the Sky Blues under Mark Robins do have goals of their own, including promotion, so the matchup in the West Midlands may be interesting.
This is how Corberan’s suggested starting lineup may look against their formidable opponents; in one of three possible lineup changes, Jed Wallace, the makeshift center forward, might be replaced by a fresh striker to lead the line.
1GK – Alex Palmer
Given that the dependable 27-year-old Palmer has kept 15 clean sheets so far this season, Corberan will almost certainly continue to use Palmer as his starting goalie.
2RB – Darnell Furlong
For the Coventry test, the Spaniard’s decision to go with his reliable right-back alternative, Darnell Furlong, will also be obvious.
The third-ranked player for the Baggies was outstanding in the midday kickoff last Saturday against Hull City, winning seven duels and even setting up a goal to tie the score at one.
3CB – Cedric Kipre
In addition, Cedric Kipre, the formidable West Brom number four who has started every game this season in the Championship save one missing contest, will be kept in the lineup for tonight’s difficult match against Coventry.
Kipre’s position at the center of defense is well-deserved; the 27-year-old won all 100 of his aerial duels against the Tigers to thwart any potentially dangerous Hull attackers gaining momentum.
4CB – Semi Ajayi
Erik Pieters may be replaced by Semi Ajayi in the first lineup change from the team that battled to a 1-1 draw with Hull on their travels. Corberan wants to progressively reintegrate Ajayi into the first team after he was sidelined for a long time at the Africa Cup of Nations.
With Kyle Bartley out with an injury, Pieters has played impressively well at center defense for the Baggies. However, West Brom’s Nigerian number six, Victor Uche, will be itching to get back into his manager’s starting eleven ahead of the versatile Dutchman.
5LB – Conor Townsend
Nonetheless, Corberan shouldn’t bench Conor Townsend at left defense because the 30-year-old defender has been a consistent first-team player for the Baggies this season.
The six-foot full-back recently made an outstanding impression away at Plymouth Argyle, contributing to West Brom’s commanding 3-0 victory as they cruised back to the West Midlands.
In addition to losing just one battle overall at Home Park, Townsend would score two significant opportunities produced in Devon while assisting his team in launching forward with confidence.
6CM – Okay Yokuslu
In order to defeat the Sky Blues tonight, West Brom will need to be well-drilled; Corberan’s team will need to contain players like Callum O’Hare for the entire 90 minutes.
The degree of defense that Okay Yokuslu consistently provides the Baggies front four may enable West Brom to effectively shut out their formidable opponents in the second division; the Turkish holding midfielder performed admirably away at Hull in the most recent game in this capacity.
In addition to winning six duels overall against the Tigers, the outstanding Baggies number 35 showed perfect composure with the ball, misfiring just two passes from 38.
7CM – Alex Mowatt
Although Alex Mowatt wasn’t quite at his most inventive during the previous game against Hull, the former Leeds United player will be ready to go at the Hawthorns tonight to attempt and open the Sky Blues with a game-winning ball from the first minute.
With four assists so far this season in the second tier, Mowatt will want to reach five against Coventry by reproducing the kind of masterful performance he gave away at Plymouth.
After registering four crucial passes in the 3-0 victory over the Pilgrims, Mowatt helped secure the three points and ensured they would be returning to the Hawthorns. Michael Johnson scored the game’s second goal.
8RM – Tom Fellows
With the 20-year-old securing a starting position for the promotion-chasing West Brom squad in recent weeks, Tom Fellows is still going strong in the first team picture.
Fellows scored the third and penultimate goal away against Plymouth last weekend. During his 64 minutes on the field against the Tigers, he completed two crucial passes and had a 100% successful dribble rate. Fellows was also active in spurts.
9CAM – John Swift
Grady Diangana, a Congolese forward who performed poorly in the Hull draw, may be benched in favor of John Swift in the second personnel change that is perhaps in the works.
During his disappointing 69-minute stint at the MKM Stadium, the inconsistent West Brom number 11 was uninteresting, managing just 24 touches of the ball and one off-target attempt.
In contrast, Swift appeared more prepared for the match when he replaced Diangana late in the second half of the game. The former Reading attacking midfielder beat the unimpressive number 11 by hitting Ryan Allsop’s goal with an effort that was right on target, and he would almost match Diangana’s touch total of 19 from just 21 minutes on the field.
10LM – Michael Johnston
Since moving from Celtic to West Brom on a temporary loan arrangement in January, Michael Johnston has been nothing short of amazing. In just six games, the six-time senior international for the Republic of Ireland has already scored two goals for the Baggies.
In the 1-1 draw during lunch, Johnston terrorized the Hull defense by finishing all three of his dribbles with speed and malice. Is it possible that tonight, the talented left winger will give Coventry an equally difficult time and force him to pick another West Brom goal?
11ST – Andreas Weimann
If chosen tonight, Andreas Weimann will also be focused on getting the back of the net, as Jed Wallace will be benched to make room for the Austrian attacker to shine in this possible starting lineup.
Like Johnston, the seasoned loanee from Bristol City—who was previously called “incredible” by former Robins manager Nigel Pearson—has adapted to his new surroundings at the Hawthorns with a similar air of confidence. Corberan’s team won the match against Birmingham City earlier this month thanks to the player’s goal.
Weimann, who has made 332 appearances in the second division during his lengthy career, is a player of experience and may be the greatest short-term solution for West Brom’s striker crisis.
West Brom predicted lineup in full vs Coventry: GK – Palmer, RB – Furlong, CB – Kipre, CB – Ajayi, LB – Townsend; CM – Yokuslu, CM – Mowatt; RM – Fellows, CAM – Swift, LM – Johnston; ST – Weimann
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