West Brom and Aston Villa to check on players ahead of Midlands derby

18 January 2013 09:42

West Brom boss Steve Clarke will check on the fitness of a trio of players before finalising his side for Saturday evening's Premier League derby with Aston Villa at The Hawthorns.

Midfielder Claudio Yacob (hamstring) and strikers Shane Long (dead leg) and Marc-Antoine Fortune (hamstring) will be assessed to see if they are ready to return after recent spells on the sidelines.

But right-back Steven Reid will miss the game as a precaution after suffering a knock on the bone he fractured in his leg against Arsenal last month.

Aston Villa skipper Ron Vlaar is in contention to return to the side after a seven-week absence for the derby at West Brom.

The Dutch international defender has been sidelined with a calf injury but returned as an unused substitute against Southampton last weekend and has since put in a full week's training. Left-back Joe Bennett is also available after a bout of flu and head coach Paul Lambert will check on the fitness of striker Darren Bent (knee). Winger Marc Albrighton and defender Chris Herd are still ruled out with foot injuries.

Source: team_talk