West Brom latest: Shilen Patel praised, Carlos Corberan “pity” on West Ham loanee, early Huddersfield team news | OneFootball

West Bromwich Albion will look to strengthen their grip in the top six race even further when they travel to Carlos Corberan’s former club Huddersfield Town on Sunday afternoon.

A host of Championship outfits are vying for a spot in the play-off positions, and Albion entered the weekend five points clear of seventh-placed Norwich City with only 10 games remaining of the regular season.

The Baggies round off the weekend’s action in the second tier with a trip to West Yorkshire and know pressure will be applied by a number of chasing sides playing before them.

Expectation will be on the Black Country outfit to defeat a side down at the bottom of the division, scrapping for every point, but their midweek away draw at Queens Park Rangers proved every contest will be a battle.

Here at Football League World,

Carlos Corberan praises West Brom owner Shilen Patel

West Brom boss Carlos Corberan has praised the new West Brom owner Shilen Patel for his understanding of both the club and the Championship itself.

The Florida-based businessman became the majority shareholder of the club at the end of February, and has already attended matches against Southampton and most recently at Loftus Road.

Patel reportedly met with Corberan again after the game in West London and the Spaniard was buoyed by how much Patel knows about the league and the task to take the Baggies back to the Premier League.

As reported by the Express & Star, Corberan said: “He (Patel) understands perfectly the Championship because he was been following every game of the team so he understands.

“It’s true that sometimes live the feeling can increase but he is someone that knows the Championship and the team.

“He understands very well the Championship. We were talking before the game about how difficult today will be. We were talking with him and with all the players.

“I said yesterday that the game today would be one of the more difficult games we will play before the end of the season and I know that because I have been watching how they’re playing right now, where they’re competing in the table and the quality of the players and coach they have.”

Carlos Corberan breaks silence on Callum Marshall’s lack of minutes for West Brom

Corberan has also had his say on current loanee Callum Marshall, insisting Albion want to continue developing his abilities and understanding before he returns to West Ham in the summer.

The 19-year-old prospect linked up at The Hawthorns on a loan deal during the January transfer window but has received just 54 minutes of gametime and has remained an unused substitute for the last four consecutive league games.

Albion recruited further additions alongside Marshall at the beginning of the year and boast an impressive forward line, with Mikey Johnston and Andi Weimann making early impacts, Grady Diangana returning from AFCON and academy graduate Tom Fellows establishing himself as a first-team mainstay.

In addition, Brandon Thomas-Asante, Josh Maja and Matt Phillips are all set to return to the fold in the coming weeks, giving Corberan a big selection headache for the remainder of this term.

Marshall has patiently been waiting for an opportunity and Corberan can understand the frustration felt by the forward, but adds dealing with a lack of gametime can make him more mature before he returns to the London Stadium.

"He is in a growing process but he isn't going to be just ready with game minutes. It's part of this. We have players who went on loan to places where we wanted them to play, and they didn't.

"Reece Hall is an example. We sent him on loan and he has come back because he didn't play, but part of his development is to have the experience where you're not playing. It helps you to mature, and helps you to grow. You don't grow only when you play, you grow when you adapt your resources to the demands."

West Brom could be without as many as seven first-team players when they travel to the John Smith’s Stadium to clash with Huddersfield on Sunday.

Full-back Conor Townsend was already ruled out of the game prior to the match against QPR after being withdrawn early in the second half with a small hamstring injury against Coventry City.

Brandon Thomas-Asante has also been nursing a hamstring issue which has kept him out of the last four league games, but a scan will determine whether he plays any part on the weekend.

Matt Phillips’ recall to the first-team picture is not too far away now, with the former Scottish international set return to training next week and then undergo a programme that would get him ready for the fixtures over the Easter period.

Summer signing Josh Maja could also return in time for Easter to boost West Brom’s frontline after suffering a serious ankle injury back in December against Sunderland.

The Baggies have three players who are likely to miss the rest of the campaign due to their ongoing issues.

, while Jayson Molumby recently underwent surgery on a foot injury.