Clarke hopeful over injured stars

Head coach Steve Clarke expects West Brom to be back to full strength within the next few days as they look to halt their slump in fortunes.

The Baggies sat third in the Barclays Premier League at the start of December but have since won just two of 11 games in all competitions, their latest reverse coming with a 1-0 defeat to QPR in their FA Cup third-round replay.

Injuries to key players have disrupted Albion's rhythm but Clarke is hopeful midfielder Claudio Yacob and strikers Shane Long and Marc-Antoine Fortune could return for Saturday's West Midlands derby with Aston Villa at The Hawthorns.

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