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The final day of the Championship season sees West Brom take on Derby as Albion hope to claim third spot and, as a result, an easier route through the play-offs.
The Baggies are currently three points off Leeds in fourth place, but have a better goal difference. This means that if the Whites fall to defeat against already relegated Ipswich and West Brom win, then they’ll finish the campaign in third.
However, James Shan has a few major decisions to make, particularly in midfield. The rest of his side appears to be fairly settled but in a week where he claimed he now knew his best team, their next match will probably be the best indication of who will feature in the play-offs.
At the moment, most of the Albion team picks itself, particularly in defence and with the two main strikers. Kyle Bartley has enjoyed a period of rejuvenation under the new manager and therefore keeps his place as the middle centre-back in our predicted XI.
Ahmed Hegazi’s return from injury against Rotherham was particularly timely after some inconsistent displays from Tosin Adarabioyo, so he will continue as part of the back three.
The main decisions lie in midfield where a host of players have made their cases to play in recent weeks. Rekeem Harper’s performances had been poor before scoring last weekend so his impressive outing last time means he’s likely to start.
Sam Field will presumably miss out once again but Stefan Johansen could be dropped. Matt Phillips is yet to start since returning from a spell on the sidelines but this could be the first time we see him back in the starting XI.
Shan said this week, per The Express & Star, that they were being careful with Phillips but an eight-day break between games will help his cause.
