Carlos Corberan has told Preston North End what they must expect from West Brom

West Brom manager Carlos Corberan wants his side to compete better in the first half of matches, as the Baggies gear up for Saturday’s trip to Preston North End.

Albion are winless since August 26th, but are also unbeaten in their last three matches having drawn with Bristol City, Watford and most recently Millwall. West Brom endured goalless stalemates with the Robins and the Lions, leaving them in 13th spot ahead of the Deepdale encounter this weekend.

Corberan’s men have won two and lost two this season, with four draws to their name. The Baggies are 10 points adrift of Preston in the early part of the campaign and Ryan Lowe’s side will be looking to extend their eight-game unbeaten start to the season. But, they must be ready for Albion to come quick out the blocks - should they grant Corberan his wish.

“The negative thing was part of the first half,” said Corberan post-Millwall. “We didn’t compete well enough in the game - in the 50-50 balls, in our defending or in our attacking. It was a poor beginning to the game for us. The only thing that we can regret is that we didn’t do these things for the full game. Now, our main focus is not just to keep a clean sheet. It’s to replicate our second-half performances against Bristol City and Millwall, and make sure we perform like that for the full 90 minutes. If we were to do that, we would give ourselves a much better chance of winning games.”

Preston have won all of their home matches in the league this season, winning 2-1 on all four occasions. They have also proven hard to break down, with just six goals conceded - the second best defensive record in the Championship. To halt the Lilywhites’ home form, Corberan’s side will have to do it without some key men.

North End nemesis John Swift is fit and available while Grady Diangana, Brandon Thomas-Asante, Jeremy Sarmiento, Jed Wallace and Matt Phillips all boost Albion’s potency in attack. But, the Baggies are without forward pair Daryl Dike and Josh Maja as well as former PNE man Adam Reach. Defender Martin Kelly remains a long-term absentee, while Erik Pieters is a potential doubt too.