Express & Star

West Brom hoping Okay Yokuslu will be fit

Albion are hopeful for positive late news on Okay Yokuslu’s fitness for tonight’s clash in Blackpool.

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Okay Yokuslu (Photo by Adam Fradgley/West Bromwich Albion FC via Getty Images).

Carlos Corberan’s side bid to make it back-to-back away wins in four days at the Seasiders this evening – where a victory against the relegation-battling hosts could see the Baggies into the top six.

Blackpool snapped a four-game losing run to beat basement boys Wigan 1-0 at home on Saturday. Head coach Corberan is hopeful midfielder Yokuslu’s ankle concern might ease, but having admitted the setback has been worse than initially feared, the Spaniard confesses Albion are in the dark.

“I don’t know what will be the progress of the injuries because with Okay you are always waiting for the next one (game),” Corberan said.

Important

“But at the end when we give it the last step it is not working well because what it looks like is the injury is more difficult than what we expected at the beginning.

“It affects one part of the ankle that is difficult or takes time to fix, we know how important Okay is for us but I don’t know the availability so far.”

Central midfield options have been thin on the ground for Corberan in recent matches. Jayson Molumby missed two games with an injury on international duty as Albion found themselves without their first-choice starting duo.

Captain Jake Livermore, now down the pecking order, has had a hamstring issue and Taylor Gardner-Hickman missed the game in Stoke with a sore knee.

Corberan said: “With Gardner he had a pain in the knee and was feeling that he couldn’t play, I don’t know how he will react from the pain and the bad news we’ve had is that of course (Daryl) Dike is not going to be involved and we need to find a player to be ready at the front of the attack.”