West Bromwich Albion bring the curtain down on a turbulent season at Hillsborough this weekend. It has been a season to forget at The Hawthorns, but it has ended with a smile, at least. Thursday’s confirmation of James Morrison’s appointment was entirely deserved, given the salvage act the legendary former midfielder pulled off.
Regardless of being appointed on a two-year deal, nobody will want to succeed in this final fixture more than Morrison. With that in mind, and given the form of the unbeaten run of 10, I cannot see the Scot wanting to make too many changes to his starting line-up. I suspect the core of the side will remain unchanged.
Jed Wallace and Chris Mepham Updates
One possible alteration concerns club captain Jed Wallace, who is out of contract and could be making his final appearance as a Baggie. Wallace has overcome a calf injury that threatened to end his season on the sidelines. He has trained and is available to feature. Morrison may consider using him on the right side and shifting Jayson Molumby into his more familiar central role. Alternatively, Wallace being used from the bench is probably more likely and what I foresee.
The head coach confirmed in his press conference that Wallace was available but would not be pressed on whether he would start. Morrison also confirmed that defender Chris Mepham, absent again in recent games, has not suffered a relapse in his recovery from a lengthy hamstring injury. The Wales international was back in the squad as an unused substitute for the recent win at Preston but has not been in the reckoning in games since against Watford or Ipswich. Morrison confirmed his decision was a selection one, saying: “He’s trained the last two weeks, yes, I just felt I had cover in that position. So that was my decision.”
Forward Line Decisions
Again, as in recent weeks, the question mark comes in the final third and who Morrison decides to start with from Aune Heggebo, Daryl Dike, and Josh Maja. He went with Heggebo and Dike last weekend against Ipswich, with everything on the line, and that did not surprise me. I would be inclined to do the same again, and I suspect Morrison may well. There is an argument that Maja and Dike could start together, as both are in a similar situation with their contracts expiring at the end of next month. It could be a farewell starting berth for both, and they have deserved it in recent months. But I suspect Morrison will lean more towards reliable worker Heggebo, who has grafted extremely hard all season.
Predicted Line-Up
See Albion correspondent Lewis Cox’s predicted line-up below:
4-4-2: Max O’Leary; Danny Imray, Nat Phillips, George Campbell, Callum Styles; Jayson Molumby, Ousmane Diakite, Alex Mowatt, Isaac Price; Daryl Dike, Aune Heggebo.
Substitutes: Griffiths (gk), Taylor, Gilchrist, Bany, Bostock, Jimoh-Aloba, Wallace, Maja, Sule.
