West Brom take on Peterborough on Boxing Day with both sides needing the points at opposite ends of the table.
Both sides need the points at opposite ends of the table
West Brom take on Peterborough on Boxing Day with both sides needing the points at opposite ends of the table.
The Baggies currently sit in second in the table but have undergone a slight hiccup of late, failing to win in their last three games to sit ten points off leaders Newcastle.
Posh are second from bottom - four points away from safety - but go into the game on the back of a 2-1 home success over Watford.
Baggies news
West Brom go into the clash with no new injury concerns.
The postponement of last Saturday's away game at Blackpool left head coach Roberto Di Matteo frustrated, but it has allowed a couple of players, including Jerome Thomas, extra time to shake off niggling injuries.
Goalkeeper Scott Carson has seen the timeframe of his three-match suspension extended as a result and he will now serve the second game of his ban against Posh, with Dean Kiely continuing between the sticks.
Robert Koren (hernia) should return in the not too distant future, while striker Ishmael Miller (knee) is back in training with the first-team and targeting a January comeback.
Midfielder James Morrison (heel) is also making good progress but Neil Clement is facing up to the possibility of retirement as he struggles to overcome a long-term knee injury.
Posh news
Peterborough defender Gabriel Zakuani remains a fitness concern ahead of the trip.
Zakuani returned to the starting line-up against Watford last weekend after a three-game lay-off with his troublesome groin injury but is not yet fully fit.
Manager Mark Cooper will monitor the fitness of Zakuani closer to kick-off, with Craig Morgan set to fill in if required.
Cooper - who tasted victory in the Football League for the first time against the Hornets - has no other injury concerns and will continue to select Aaron Mclean despite the striker handing in a transfer request last week.
Mclean and strike partner Craig Mackail-Smith have scored 15 times between them this season and will line up once again as Posh look for their first win at The Hawthorns since a League Cup victory in 1988.
Defender Danny Blanchett has returned after spending the maximum 93-day period with Hereford but is unlikely to feature.
