New West Brom boss Roy Hodgson is confident he can handle the loss of Youssouf Mulumbu on derby day.
Baggies boss confident his side can cope without injured midfielder
New West Brom boss Roy Hodgson is confident he can handle the loss of Youssouf Mulumbu on derby day.
The Baggies are set to face arch-rivals Wolves on Sunday in what promises to be a keenly-fought contest at The Hawthorns.
Both sides are desperate for the points in their respective basement battles, ensuring there will be more than just local pride at stake.
West Brom's preparations heading into the game have been dealt a blow by the news that Mulumbu is to miss out with a hamstring problem.
The influential midfielder revealed on Wednesday that he will sit out the game, ruling himself out of the running on Twitter.
Hodgson, who will take charge of the Baggies for the first time this weekend, admits the Congo international is a big loss, but is confident he has able cover at his disposal.
Protection
"He was a big loss last week because he covers the back four and protects us but we've got other players who are just as good so hopefully it shouldn't really affect us," he said in the
Birmingham Mail.
Full-back Nicky Shorey is another looking to shrug off the loss of Mulumbu and focus on the positives during the build-up to a crunch clash with Wolves.
He said: "We definitely want all our players ready and fit and ready to go. We're not going to be flat.
"The new manager came in and he is going to look to get his ideas across. I'm sure we'll be ready for it.
"We've shown we can score goals and we have to make sure we stick together as a team and I'm sure we'll be alright."
