Aiming to keep the playoff-chasing pack at arm's length, West Bromwich Albion will welcome Blackburn Rovers to The Hawthorns on Saturday afternoon in the Championship.
The Baggies eased past non-league Aldershot Town in the FA Cup last time out, while Rovers were handsome winners over League One side Cambridge United at Ewood Park.
Match preview
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Following a hectic Christmas period that returned six points from a quartet of second-tier fixtures, West Brom fielded five academy graduates in their starting XI for the third-round clash with National League outfit Aldershot at The Hawthorns on Sunday afternoon, with Jovan Malcolm and Tom Fellows bagging goals for the hosts in a routine 4-1 success.
While youngsters Caleb Taylor and Fent Heard impressed last time out, it was American striker Daryl Dike who stole the headlines with a goal during his first taste of competitive football since April 2023, with the 23-year-old returning from a serious Achilles setback to put Albion three goals ahead inside 27 minutes.
Carlos Corberan knows that his side's December period was not perfect by any means as West Brom tasted defeat against Leicester City, Sunderland and Michael Carrick's Middlesbrough, but the Baggies remain fifth in the Championship standings, three points ahead of a sixth-placed Hull City side who have recently added Liverpool's Fabio Carvalho on loan for the remainder of the term.
Albion's form at The Hawthorns so far in 2023-24 has been very impressive, with the Black Country outfit collecting 27 points from their 13 home league outings, a record that can only be bested by the division's top four: Leicester, Ipswich Town, Southampton and Leeds United.
Despite walking a financial tightrope as the club attempt to move away from the shady ownership of Guochuan Lai, Corberan is hoping to add some quality in wide areas during the January transfer window, especially following the decision of Brighton & Hove Albion to recall Ecuador international Jeremy Sarmiento.
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Blackburn Rovers punched their ticket in the fourth round of the FA Cup last weekend by demolishing third-tier side Cambridge at Ewood Park, with leading marksman Sammie Szmodics netting a hat-trick, before summer arrival Arnor Sigurdsson and Harry Leonard sealed a five-star performance from the hosts.
Although the scoreline was comfortable in the end, Rovers found themselves behind in the contest twice due to strikes from Jack Lankester and Sullay Kaikai in the first period, and following a run of five games without victory in the Championship, the home supporters would have been fearing a cup upset.
Despite having the division's top goalscorer within their ranks, Jon Dahl Tomasson's men are currently occupying 17th position in the second-tier standings, eight points behind Michael Beale's Sunderland in sixth and 10 points better off compared to 22nd-placed Sheffield Wednesday.
Rovers have acted decisively in the loan market during the early stages of this month's window to improve their squad, recruiting Aston Villa's Benjamin Chrisene and Brighton's Yasin Ayari, with the latter failing to nail down a spot at Coventry City in the first half of the campaign due to the return of fans' favourite Callum O'Hare.
There have also been some notable outgoings from Ewood Park in January, with midfielder Lewis Travis joining promotion-chasing Ipswich on a temporary deal, while James Hill's time in Lancashire was cut short following Bournemouth's decision to recall the right-footed defender.
Team News
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West Brom are set to be without the services of Semi Ajayi and Grady Diangana for the next few weeks, with the pair representing their countries at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Jed Wallace and Jayson Molumby did not take part in Albion training on Thursday morning, with the former recovering from an adductor injury sustained in December.
Dike could feature in his first Championship fixture in nine months on Saturday but will be eased back into action by Corberan, meaning Brandon Thomas-Asante is preparing to lead the line once again.
Blackburn Rovers goalkeeper Aynsley Pears featured for the Under-21s this week as he steps up his recovery from a foot injury, with the 25-year-old last playing for the first team on October 1.
Leopold Wahlstedt will keep his place in between the sticks for the trip to The Hawthorns, though, with Hayden Carter and Dominic Hyam potentially starting as the centre-back pairing.
Rovers remain without the talents of Joe Rankin-Costello and Ryan Hedges due to hamstring injuries, so the likes of Andrew Moran and Callum Brittain should start on the right flank.
West Bromwich Albion possible starting lineup:
Palmer; Furlong, Bartley, Kipre, Townsend; Yokuslu, Mowatt, Fellows, Swift, Reach; Thomas-Asante
Blackburn Rovers possible starting lineup:
Wahlstedt; Brittain, Hyam, Carter, Pickering; Wharton, Tronstad, Moran, Szmodics, Sigurdsson; Telalovic
We say: West Bromwich Albion 1-0 Blackburn Rovers
Although West Brom are light in terms of attacking options due to Diangana's AFCON involvement and Sarmiento's departure, the hosts still have a first-choice defence available, which has been key to so many of their wins at The Hawthorns this season.
Blackburn have lost their last four Championship away matches - conceding 13 goals in the process - and we cannot imagine Rovers earning anything on Saturday afternoon.
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Top tip
Carter White
