Baggies waiting on Mulumbu

Mulumbu: Thigh strain

West Brom are sweating on the fitness of Youssouf Mulumbu ahead of Sunday's derby date with Wolves.

The midfielder suffered a thigh strain over the weekend as the Baggies threw away a three-goal lead to draw 3-3 with West Ham.

Those two dropped points could prove costly come the end of the campaign, but they will get the opportunity to make amends against their local rivals in their next outing.

A crunch clash at The Hawthorns against Wolves will see Roy Hodgson take charge of the club for the first time, while offering a chance to pull clear of the drop zone.

West Brom may be forced to cope without Mulumbu, though, as the Congo international faces a race against time to shake off a knock.

He wrote on Twitter: "Injured in my right thigh, probably off for several days."

Precautionary

First-team coach Michael Appleton, who has been in temporary charge since the sacking of Roberto Di Matteo, hopes the problem is not too serious, but concedes Mulumbu is a doubt for derby day.

He said: "We're hoping it's not too bad. He started to feel it stiffening up.

"Taking Youssouf off was precautionary, with some big games coming up.

"Youssouf has been a big influence on the team all season - home and away.

"He does a fantastic job for us and his role in the team is key."