The West Brom ace’s comments suggest the Baggies boss could ring the changes against the Lions at The Hawthorns.
West Bromwich Albion captain Chris Brunt has spoken ahead of the Baggies’ Carabao Cup first-round tie with Millwall in comments that suggest Slaven Bilic could name a heavily-changed side to take on the Lions at The Hawthorns (official WBA website).
The Baggies host their Championship rivals on Tuesday night having locked horns with them just three days earlier in the West Midlands, the two playing out a 1-1 draw in which Alex Pearce’s own goal was cancelled out by Matt Smith’s equaliser for the visitors.
“This game gives a chance for the manager to take a good look at a few of the players that haven’t played yet,” said Brunt. “The lads did well at Nottingham Forest and he stuck with the same team against Millwall, so it’s a chance for some of us to go out and show what we can do.
“Obviously we’ve got a decent squad of players now, and only 14 can be involved in a league game so it’s important for the lads that aren’t involved that we do have the opportunity to play competitive games, and staying in the cup is a big part of that. Let’s hope we can do that.”
The last time West Brom met Millwall in the League Cup was in 1983, as the Baggies overcame a 3-0 away loss to win 5-1 at The Hawthorns, while their only other League Cup meeting was in 1975 as Len Cantello scored for the Baggies to secure a 1-0 win at The Hawthorns (official WBA website).
The West Brom website also notes that Albion have beaten Millwall on four of their last six visits to The Hawthorns, the Southeast Londoners not winning at B71 since October 2001, and the Baggies have always progressed to the next round of cup competitions against them, so the omens are looking good for the hosts on Tuesday night.
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