West Brom welcome Preston at the Hawthorns on Tuesday evening hoping to continue their excellent run of form in the Championship.
The Baggies are on top of the table having won four out of their last five games. They defeated Bristol City 3-0 on Saturday and will be aiming to make it two wins in a row with a victory over Preston at the Hawthorns.
Preston, meanwhile, occupy the last playoff spot and enter into Tuesday’s contest on the back of a 2-1 success over Hull City.
Gareth Barry and Kieran Gibbs have returned to full training and could be in the squad for this game. The Baggies will be without the suspended Romaine Sawyers, who was shown a straight red card for violent conduct against Bristol’s Jamie Paterson.
Johnstone kept a clean sheet at Bristol City and will aim to shut the shop as quickly as possible against Preston.
O’Shea has performed well at right-back over the last few weeks. He’ll retain his place in Bilic’s starting XI.
Ajayi had a decent outing against Bristol, helping West Brom keep a clean sheet on Saturday. He’ll definitely start against Preston.
Bartley was dropped at Ashton Gate on Saturday after a poor game against Nottingham Forest, with Hegazi starting at the back. The Egyptian did well and is likely to retain his place in the starting XI.
Townsend has nailed down his position at left-back with a string of solid displays. The 26-year-old is likely to start against Preston.
With Sawyers suspended, Livermore could be back to his usual deeper role on Tuesday. The Englishman will look to take control of the game as quickly as possible.
Harper could be the natural player to replace the suspended Sawyers. The 19-year-old has played very little this season but he’ll need to take his chances with both hands against the Lilywhites if he receives a start.
Krovinovic is an intelligent midfielder who’ll be key in carving open the Preston defence.
Pereira’s influence goes without saying, with the Brazilian scoring six goals and registering 11 assists in the league this season.
Robinson scored in the 3-0 victory over Bristol, continuing his good form after joining on loan from Sheffield United in January. He’ll keep his place on the left flank.
Playing in his favoured centre-forward role under Bilic, Robson-Kanu took his tally for the campaign to 9 against Bristol City. The brace on Saturday should give the Welshman a lot of confidence heading into the Preston game.
