Tony Mowbray is sweating on the availability of a host of West Bromwich Albion players ahead of what is a crucial fixture in the make up of their season, when they welcome Watford to The Hawthorns on Saturday.
Albion, having lost to Bristol City on Tuesday while Coventry City snatched a stoppage time winner against Portsmouth on Wednesday, now sit five points outside of the Championship play-off places with as many matches remaining in their campaign.
They have lost their last three games, are winless in five and have relinquished their place in the top six as a result.
At Ashton Gate, where the Baggies suffered a late 2-1 defeat, Ousmane Diakite suffered a knock to his ankle, while Albion were already without the imposing presence of Torbjorn Heggem in the back-line.
On top of that, Tammer Bany has emerged as a fresh injury concern.
“I don’t think Diakite is going to make it,” Mowbray said. “Heggem we’ll have to wait and see, but it’ll be close. He didn’t do any training on Thursday.
“Bany has been away for a scan on a hamstring. Friday is the day we make decisions on whether they train, because if they don’t train Friday then they won’t play.
“With Diakite it’s an ankle ligament injury. It was in a challenge. There was a bit more force. Heggem hasn’t trained, and the bottom line is that he has to train Friday. Isaac Price is fine.”
Albion remain without long-term trio Josh Maja, Jed Wallace and Semi Ajayi, although two of those three players are getting closer to returning to availability.
Maja hasn’t featured since the beginning of January, while Ajayi limped off in the side’s last win, over Oxford United. He and captain Wallace, though, could even return for the Easter double header next week.
“Maja, I haven’t seen him yet,” Mowbray explained. “He’s in the building but he hasn’t been on the grass. The others, Ajayi and Wallace, are on the grass.
“They actually joined in a bit with training on Thursday, doing some passing and possession. They’re not in contention for this weekend, but maybe the Easter period – we’ll wait and see.”
With worries over Diakite and Heggem, and Jayson Molumby at the time of writing suspended after his red card at Bristol City – although the club have appealed the decision – Mowbray has issues in a number of positions ahead of what is shaping up to be a significant fixture. It could be that he asks players to patch themselves up and go again for the sake of the team.
“You get to a period in the season now where you have to consider taking risks – provided the player is happy to, of course,” he added.
“Whether that’s to be injected, or heavily strapped, or knowing that if it goes that it’ll be season over for you. In certain positions we may have to take a risk. Other positions maybe not, but with some areas we might have to.”
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