[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Friday dawns with three of the West Midlands clubs managerless, and one confirming that due to a lack of available talent, they'll remain so until 2023. Hopefully the situation won't be so bleak for Albion (if only because we're liable to be less choosy), but we'll be venturing down to London on Saturday with Richard Beale in charge, and after Tuesday night's showing took the shine right off last weekend's long-overdue win, that's an iffy prospect.

The Lions are 8th in the table courtesy of a three-game winning streak, and their general record against the Baggies is worryingly good; they've won seven of their last ten at home against us, while we've won just one in five either home or away versus them, and have lost on nine of our last ten visits to London clubs, the sole exception being the shock win at Chelsea in April 2021. Whether or not he shuffles the formation and does away with three at the back - an approach which Bristol City effortlessly discredited on Tuesday - at the very least Beale needs to ring the changes in the starting XI and inject either some solidity with Yokuslu, some creativity with Rogic, or both. Going on form (both short-term and long-term) there's not much to lose, but a point would be very welcome in this encounter.