West Bromwich Albion will continue their preparations for the 2022-23 campaign with a pre-season clash against League Two outfit Crewe Alexandra on Saturday afternoon.
The Baggies will enter the contest off the back of a 3-0 win over Northampton Town on Wednesday, while Crewe's last friendly saw them record a 3-2 victory over Halesowen Town on Tuesday.
Match preview
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Crewe finished 24th in League One last season, picking up just 29 points from their 46 matches, meaning that they will play in the fourth tier of English football during the 2022-23 campaign.
The Railwaymen have had an extremely busy month in terms of pre-season friendlies, playing five times in total, overcoming Nantwich Town, Kidsgrove Athletic and Halesowen Town.
Crewe also drew with Barnsley and lost to Macclesfield FC, and they will now play three more pre-season games against West Brom, Lommel and Rotherham United before starting their 2022-23 League One campaign away to Rochdale on July 30.
Alex Morris's side have managed to bring in five new players on free transfers this summer, with Courtney Baker-Richardson, Charlie Colkett, Conor Thomas, Kelvin Mellor and Rod McDonald arriving at the club.
There have also been a number of departures ahead of the new season, with the team back in League Two after two seasons in League One, finishing 12th in 2020-21 before their relegation last term.
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West Brom, meanwhile, started their pre-season with a 2-1 victory over Leyton Orient on July 4 before suffering a 2-0 defeat at Stevenage five days later.
The Baggies returned to winning ways on Wednesday, though, as they put three unanswered goals past Northampton Town, with Daryl Dike, Karlan Grant and Adam Reach finding the back of the net.
West Brom will now take on Crewe, Oxford United and Hertha Berlin in their final three friendlies of the summer before opening their 2022-23 Championship campaign away to Middlesbrough on July 30.
Steve Bruce's side finished 10th in the Championship last season, eight points behind sixth-place Luton Town, and they will certainly be looking to move closer to the playoffs next term.
The Baggies have been quiet this summer in terms of incomings, with Jayson Molumby, John Swift and Jed Wallace their only additions thus far, but there is expected to be more movement in the coming weeks.
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Team News
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Crewe had Oli Finney and Joel Tabiner back against Halesowen Town last time out, with the pair overcoming injury problems, while Kelvin Mellor also made his return following illness.
Head coach Morris will again be looking to make full use of his squad, while it is likely that there will again be some trial players on display for the League Two outfit.
There could also be positions in the starting side for newcomers Baker-Richardson, Colkett, Thomas, Mellor and McDonald.
As for West Brom, Bruce used 18 players against Northampton on Wednesday, and a similar number are set to be involved in the contest with Crewe.
Grant could start through the middle, with Dike potentially dropping to the bench, but the likes of Wallace, Reach and Jake Livermore could keep their spots in the XI.
The Baggies are unlikely to be able to call upon Callum Robinson, though, due to the dead leg that he suffered during the clash with Northampton.
Grady Diangana could therefore come in for a start, while Kenneth Zohore will hope to return to the squad, but Kean Bryan and Kyle Bartley remain on the sidelines through injury.
Crewe Alexandra possible starting lineup:
Edwards; Mellor, McDonald, Offord, Adebisi; Thomas, Colkett, Ainley; Baker-Richardson, Long, Sambou
West Bromwich Albion possible starting lineup:
Button; Furlong, O'Shea, Ajayi, Townsend; Livermore, Swift; Wallace, Diangana, Reach; Grant
We say: Crewe Alexandra 1-2 West Bromwich Albion
West Brom were impressive against Northampton last time out, and Bruce will be looking for another strong performance here. Crewe have already played a lot of football this summer, so they should be in good shape, but we are expecting the visitors to emerge victorious at the end of the 90 minutes.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
