Chris Brunt risks angry reaction from defender as ‘superb’ midfielder starts – West Brom predicted XI vs Swansea
West Brom are back in Championship action this weekend, travelling to Swansea City on Saturday afternoon.
Following a 3-1 victory over Preston North End on New Year’s Day, the Baggies are confident in their upcoming match. That result was the first win for the joint interim management team of Chris Brunt and Damia Abella, so the pair will be keen to build momentum this January.
Albion are yet to select a new permanent head coach to replace Carlos Corberan, who left on December 24. However, there have been strong links to Swansea manager Luke Williams. Although there have been no credible reports indicating that talks have progressed, Williams remains the strong frontrunner to take over as West Brom manager.
That certainly makes this Saturday’s match at Swansea.com Stadium all the more intriguing, especially since Williams has refused to rule out a departure. For the time being, the 44-year-old’s sole priority is on assisting the Swans, who trail West Brom by six points heading into this weekend.
Brunt, naming the team again in the absence of a new manager, could face some anger from Kyle Bartley if he starts the centre-back again as he’s looked knackered over recent matches. There’s little choice, however, as Brunt admitted: “I don’t think I’m Kyle Bartley’s favourite person at the minute to be totally honest!
“Look, it’s what it is.” He was outstanding against Sheffield United. He organises the defense and manages the team. What can you do? You risk taking him off, not playing him, and losing a valuable leader and personality.”
With those statements in mind, it appears that Bartley will play again. But who will be the remaining ten starters in South Wales? Here’s a rundown of the XI we believe will be named.
GK – Alex Palmer: The goalkeeper has been outstanding this season, keeping 11 clean sheets in 25 Championship games while surrendering only 20 goals.
RB – Darnell Furlong: One of Corberan’s standout players and now transitioning into a new era, Furlong is one of the most reliable.
CB: Kyle Bartley. Bartley, an experienced figure in the middle, is critical to the team’s success. Brunt stated that Bartley has been reacting negatively to playing every minute, but there isn’t much alternative.
CB, Torbjorn Heggem: Nobody has made more tackles for West Brom this season than Heggem, who is widely regarded as the season’s best signing.
LB – Callum Styles: Following his first goal for the club, Styles should start again at left-back. Gianluca Frabotta will have to wait for his opportunity.
CM – Uros Racic: It’s a tough decision between Jayson Molumby and Racic, but we believe the latter will play because midfield rotation is required during this busy period.
CM – Ousmane Diakite: The Malian was outstanding against Preston, winning the most of his duels and putting Albion away on numerous occasions.
RM – Jed Wallace: The skipper hasn’t been in great form lately, but he could start this one after Tom Fellows appeared fatigued in the first half of Preston’s victory.
LM, Mikey Johnston: Johnston, who has two goals and one assist in his previous four appearances, will be eager to keep up his good work.
CAM – Karlan Grant: Grant is expected to remain in the number 10 spot because he is frequently the danger man. What a comeback the attacker has made.
ST – Josh Maja: Last time out, Maja won the contest with two goals.
Read more news on https://sportupdates.co.uk/
Leave a Reply