West Bromwich Albion will look to further solidify their playoff spot with a win on their travels to Norwich City today, with Carlos Corberan's Baggies confident going into the trip to Norfolk after a 4-1 victory against Blackburn Rovers last match.
Still, the Spanish boss in the Hawthorns dug-out won't want his players to rest on their laurels and be content with what they have already – the West Midlands outfit in danger of slipping out of the top six if any complacency sets in.
With that in mind, Corberan could field this lineup for the game at Carrow Road today with two potential changes on the cards…
1 GK – Alex Palmer
Leading the way with 12 clean sheets in the Championship this season, Illan Meslier just behind with ten to his name, Alex Palmer is a shoo-in for a start away at Norwich today.
In the reverse fixture versus the Canaries on Boxing Day, Palmer made three crucial saves to shut out Norwich to help the hosts win 1-0.
2 RB – Darnell Furlong
Darnell Furlong was solid throughout the comprehensive 4-1 win over Blackburn last weekend, winning six of his eight duels in the emphatic victory.
The dependable West Brom number two registered four key passes from the back against the Riversiders, not content with just sitting back and fulfilling his typical defensive duties with a forward-thinking approach preferred.
3 CB – Kyle Bartley
Kyle Bartley was also strong against the Riversiders in the confident win, even notching up an assist for Tom Fellows to open the scoring at the Hawthorns.
The former Arsenal man was also aerially dominant in the victory, bullying the Blackburn attackers all game in an imposing display with 100% of his aerial duels successfully won.
4 CB – Caleb Taylor
Looking at how well Tom Fellows has done since coming into the team as an exuberant 20-year-old talent, Corberan could switch things up at the back with young centre-back Caleb Taylor potentially preferred over Cedric Kipre.
Kipre was poor during the Blackburn win – winning just one duel – with Taylor bettering that total with two won despite only being on the pitch for 13 minutes.
5 LB – Conor Townsend
Conor Townsend was way off the pace against Blackburn without being detrimental to his team, failing to win any of his ground duels which allowed attackers such as Jack Garrett for the visitors to shine in patches.
Yet, with Corberan faithful to the 30-year-old at left-back this season so far, the number three should be retained regardless of this off-day.
Playing versus Norwich last month, the defender was far more bright and lively with Corberan hoping this version of Townsend reappears for the trip to the Canaries – amassing two key passes in the 1-0 win from the back.
6 RM – Tom Fellows
With Grady Diangana still present at the African Cup of Nations and out of action for the Baggies as a result, Fellows has really stepped up to the mark in the Congolese winger's absence with some sterling displays from down the right-hand channel.
The 20-year-old homegrown West Brom product excelled against a leaky Blackburn defence, firing four shots on the Riversiders net with one of those efforts trickling in to open the scoring in the 4-1 win.
A livewire throughout for Corberan's promotion-chasers, the Baggies boss will want Fellows to be similarly electric against Norwich to catch a similarly susceptible Canaries defence off-guard.
7 CM – Okay Yokuşlu
Okay Yokuşlu will also be retained for the clash today against David Wagner's hosts, despite the 29-year-old central midfielder not exactly setting the world alight against Blackburn.
Yet, the Turkish number 35 has shone in other games this season away from this lacklustre individual display.
The 29-year-old notably impressed when West Brom got the better of Leeds United at the end of December 1-0, launching himself into duels and tackles aplenty with four tackles and six duels won.
Corberan will hope Yokuşlu just experienced a blip against Blackburn – passively winning just 50% of his duels – and can return back to his best at Carrow Road.
8 CM – Alex Mowatt
Whilst Yokuşlu is prone to sitting back and doing the dirty work in the central midfield duo, Alex Mowatt is far more comfortable venturing forward and setting up his teammates with countless chances to score.
Managing two key passes in the Blackburn win, the former Leeds United man was unplayable at points when the Baggies previously faced off against Norwich in December.
The number 27 dominated proceedings centrally with a staggering 127 touches managed, successfully completing 100 passes. Could the 5 foot 10 midfielder pick up an assist this swagger deserves today?
9 LM – Adam Reach
Starting three games in a row recently after being plagued with a horrific streak of injuries, Adam Reach has proven his worth to the West Brom cause playing at left wing in the absence of injury-stricken Matt Phillips.
The 30-year-old's most impactful display to date since coming into the first-team fold was against Blackburn, managing one key pass from the hour he featured on the Hawthorns turf.
Not quite ready for a full 90 minutes just yet, Reach's steady presence down the left flank could still help the Baggies when Norwich attack at will today – the ex-Sheffield Wednesday midfielder completing three interceptions last match when Blackburn infrequently forayed forward.
10 CAM – Jed Wallace
The second potential change to the West Brom starting lineup could see John Swift axed for Jed Wallace to come in at the number ten spot, the ex-Reading midfielder poor even despite the convincing three points his confident teammates managed to pick up.
Amassing just 34 touches in the contest before being hauled off the pitch by Corberan on the hour mark, with one off-target effort also notched up, the time could be right to reintroduce Jed Wallace to the first-team fold after an injury layover had limited his recent minutes.
Able to play anywhere across the forward positions behind Brandon Thomas-Asante, Wallace's three goals and three assists this season when played mean he could slot into this spot effortlessly and help the Baggies secure another big win in the process with his creative powers.
Labelled as having an "unbelievable" delivery by Sheffield United defender Jack O'Connell last season, Thomas-Asante will be chomping at the bit if Wallace is preferred over Swift knowing the former Millwall's man expertise on the ball can help him become even more prolific.






