West Bromwich Albion manager Slaven Bilic suggested that winger Matt Phillips could be available for Saturday's game against Charlton Athletic at the Hawthorns, following the Baggies 2-2 draw against Barnsley on Tuesday night.

Phillips missed out on the game against Barnsley, having also missed the Baggies' 1-0 win at Middlesbrough last weekend with a shin injury, and West Brom at times missed his presence on the field, especially during the first half when Barnsley took a 2-0 lead into the break following a brace from Cauley Woodrow.

However, West Brom were able to turn the game around in the second period, with Phillip's replacement Kyle Edwards being taken off for Filip Krovinovic at half time and Nathan Ferguson also being replaced by Conor Townsend - and the Baggies managed to rescue a point in the second half to remain on top of the table.

Speaking to the Birmingham Mail following the 2-2 draw with Barnsley, Bilic suggested that Phillips could be available for the game against Charlton on Saturday, saying "I was expecting him to be available tonight, to be fair.

"Unfortunately he wasn't. He's had a scan yesterday, and I'm expecting him to be okay for Saturday. He should be. You never know."

The Verdict

West Brom will be hoping that Bilic is right and that Phillips will be available for Saturday's game against Charlton at the Hawthorns, with the winger's presence on the right-hand side being missed at times during the last two games against Middlesbrough and Barnsley.

The Baggies at times in the first half against Barnsley on Tuesday lacked creativity and drive down the right-hand side, which is something that Phillips provides when he is fit and firing and his replacement Edwards struggled to offer the same sort of impact on the game that the 28-year-old usually does.

Bilic will be wanting as many of his key players fit as possible in the coming weeks, with the Baggies now being the team that everyone wants to beat with them currently sitting top of the league, and Tuesday's game against Barnsley shows that when they are not at their best they can be punished by any team in the Championship.