Southampton v West Brom - Championship play-off semi-final: All the latest team news | OneFootball

Southampton will be keen to make the most of their home advantage and secure a victory over West Bromwich Albion on Friday.

The Saints will know that their home advantage isn't certain to work in their favour, with the Baggies still very much in the tie after the first leg finished 0-0.

But Russell Martin's side will be the happier side out of the two following Sunday's stalemate at The Hawthorns - and some pundits will label them favourites to face either Leeds United or Norwich City in the final at Wembley later this month.

Both of Friday's teams are very strong on paper though, with Martin managing to guide the Saints to fourth place following the club's relegation from the Premier League at the end of last term.

That may not be a hugely impressive finish, but the South Coast side did cash in on key players last summer and a new style of play was implemented under Martin, who has a very particular way of playing.

The Baggies, meanwhile, have arguably exceeded expectations under Carlos Corberan, who did well to keep Albion in the play-offs for a very decent chunk of the campaign.

Ross Stewart boost emerges for Southampton

Stewart has spent the vast majority of the season on the sidelines with a hamstring injury, which was a big blow for the striker who also spent much of the 2022/23 campaign on the sidelines too.

Following his move from Sunderland, he looked set to be an important addition for this season in the Saints' promotion quest, but he has only been able to contribute during the latter stages of this term.

Coming on for a brief cameo during the final game of the regular season at Leeds United, he also came on against West Brom.

And Martin believes he's more ready to start now, although it would be difficult to see him starting on Friday considering how long he has spent out of action.

Speaking about the 27-year-old, the Saints' boss told the Daily Echo: "Ross Stewart's energy, enthusiasm, aggression and physical presence is all the stuff I've said about Che Adams.

"That half an hour for him will be so important in the next step for him, so he's more ready to start a game for sure.

"We need to make sure we win on Friday to give him another opportunity to be ready for another game, that's the job at hand."

In terms of other players, Gavin Bazunu remains out, with Alex McCarthy likely to start again following a good performance in the first leg.

Stuart Armstrong and Juan Larios are also out, but Che Adams could return in time for Friday's game.

West Brom's injury worries are minimal

Albion are in a fairly decent position in terms of injury, with the vast majority of their players available.

However, two players have been ruled out of the upcoming clash at St Mary's, with Daryl Dike suffering a ruptured Achilles back in February.

The United States international joined Albion back in January 2022, but has spent most of his time at the club on the sidelines due to his various injury issues.

Jayson Molumby is the other player who is out injured, having had surgery on a foot injury.

There's no chance of him making Friday's game - and that's a blow because the Irishman has been an important first-team player during his time at the club.

However, Corberan has most of his players available and will be looking to use that to come out on top on the South Coast.