West Brom v Reading - Match preview
Midfield general Okay Yokuslu insists Albion have not ruled out a push for automatic promotion.
The 28-year-old is currently in flying form as Carlos Corberan’s side have put themselves firmly in Championship play-off contention.
The Baggies have won seven games in eight – four from five since the division’s restart – and with momentum and confidence on their side the busy festive schedule has been a bonus.
Corberan & Co hope the Baggies machine will plough on despite off-field problems mounting, with Reading visitors to The Hawthorns this afternoon.
No player in Albion ranks has profited from regular games in a settled, performing side than Yokuslu. The Turk’s slow start to the season after a limited pre-season prior to rejoining the club is now a distant memory.
And he was honest with how 11th-placed Albion view the second half of the table. “Yes to be honest we look at the table, I cannot lie!” Yokuslu admitted.
“At the same time we know the season is very long. Especially in this division you can lose your position in two games. Game by game we need to focus in every one.
“That’s what we are doing right now. There’s a big gap to second, but I think it’s not impossible, if we play like this.
“We are going to aim high and we’ll see what is going to happen.”
Corberan’s side enter today’s contest against the Royals able to climb as high as sixth with a victory. They are currently 15 points adrift of the top two.
Yokuslu, who starred with both goals in the 2-0 victory over Preston last week, has not been slow to come forward with his praise for Corberan since the head coach’s appointment over two months ago.
The midfielder said: “To be honest the gaffer has helped us so much. Tactically and mentally he’s changed us as a group.
“The last games have been incredible, we’ve performed very well as a team and on the bench. First XI and the impact players. We are doing very well.”
He added: “I think that the mentality of the players and the gaffer...under him we are working really hard on the pitch.
“I said this before, we know what we need to do, offensively and in an attacking sense. Every player in the previous games, all players have impacted the game.
“We are such a nice group here, quality players. Everyone is performing very well at the moment. We try to keep the momentum high.”
Paul Ince’s visitors Reading start the day a single point above Albion. They have lost just one of the last five games.
