Baggies plan to warm up with friendly
WEST Brom are hoping to arrange a friendly match or two before their season resumes later this month.
The EFL announced over the weekend that a provisional date of June 20 has been agreed for the return of Championship football amid the coronavirus pandemic, provided there is not a second wave of positive cases, and most clubs in England’s second tier have welcomed the development.
Albion are now back in full contact training as Slaven Bilic and his players step up their preparations for the beginning of their nine-match mini-campaign, during which time they will hope to secure promotion back to the Premier League at the second attempt.
As part of those preparations, tentative enquiries have already been made with other clubs, whose squads are equally eager to test their fitness levels after a long lay-off where competitive matches have been absent. Some clubs have presented offers of a friendly to Albion, too.
It is understood that any opponent Albion welcome to The Hawthorns or visit will either be a Premier League team or one of the Championship sides they have already played twice this term – there are 14 of those clubs to choose from.
Any agreement in regards to friendlies taking place will have to pass a multitude of health and safety regulations.
Measures have been taken at Albion’s training ground, and other venues nationwide, to ensure the spread of coronavirus is minimised. Players have had to bring in their own kit and food and drink each day, while all concerned have been undergoing Covid-19 tests.
Such protocols will need to be applied to any friendly matches, with more than 25 players likely to be involved in any given match.
For that reason, Albion are cautiously optimistic they will successfully arrange competitive minutes for their players who have been starved of action for almost three months.
The Baggies’ first match once the season resumes will be a home clash with rivals Blues.