Carlos Corberán spoke to members of the media about the fitness of four of his senior players at the club’s training ground on Friday lunchtime.
During his pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday’s Sky Bet Championship trip to Preston North End, the boss revealed Ousmane Diakité and Grady Diangana will miss the encounter, however towering duo Kyle Bartley and Uroš Račić are available for selection.
Bartley, who hadn’t played in any of the previous six games, and Račić, who reported pain in his neck, both completed 45 minutes each on Tuesday when the Baggies held high-flying Sunderland to a goalless draw, with Diakité sustaining a knee issue in the warm-up at the Stadium of Light.
Diangana hasn’t featured in any of the last three fixtures and is managing a calf complaint.
The boss said: “For me, it was a big challenge for Kyle Bartley to play 45 minutes at Sunderland. He is going to be in a better condition for our game at Preston this weekend.
“Ousmane Diakité has been training today, but he still had a pain in his knee. He’s not been able to manage the pain and he won’t be available for selection at Deepdale.
“Uroš Račić had a pain in his neck on Tuesday, but he did what players sometimes have to do. The pain was there, but he beat the pain.
“Grady Diangana is out of the game. He has pain in his calf which is preventing him from being at his level.”
The Baggies beat Saturday’s opponents 4-0 at Deepdale last season, but Corberán says this weekend’s battle will be completely “different” for a number of reasons.
Carlos said: “It’s a totally different test this weekend playing Preston compared to when we played them at Deepdale last season.
“We are a different team and we play with a different formation. They have a different team and a different coach. They’ve also got a different identity.
“I can only see this as a different game.
“We beat them at their ground one year ago, but all that says to me is that we were better than them one year ago. It doesn’t mean we will get the same result this time around, although we want to go there and get the same result.
“Last year’s result doesn’t affect what will happen in a negative or a positive way. We head into this game not even thinking about the result there last season.
“It’s a chance to take a step forward. We want to achieve more wins and we want to achieve more points. Every game gives you the chance to do that and Saturday is no different.
“I respect Preston a lot. The last two games they’ve played at home they’ve shown a really good level. They were playing against Sunderland and Derby County.
“I also have a lot of respect for Paul Heckingbottom as a coach.”
