Blackpool welcome back Chris Maxwell and Matty Virtue for West Brom cup clash

Blackpool will have Chris Maxwell and Matty Virtue available again for Saturday’s FA Cup third-round tie against West Brom.

The pair have been in self-isolation for the past 10 days, missing games against Shrewsbury and Bristol Rovers after testing positive for Covid-19, but returned to training this week.

The club on Thursday said two further individuals had tested positive but did not identify if they were players or staff.

Luke Garbutt and CJ Hamilton will miss the match through injuries picked up against Rovers last week, while the return of Maxwell has allowed emergency loan goalkeeper Sam Walker to head back to Reading.

West Brom mananger Sam Allardyce is planning to make sweeping changes to his side as he returns to one of the first clubs he managed.

Allardyce has challenged his fringe players to prove they are worthy of Premier League selection with a strong performance at Bloomfield Road.

Two unnamed players are self-isolating after testing positive for Covid-19 at the weekend, while Karlan Grant and Hal Robson-Kanu are out.

Kyle Bartley and Sam Field have returned to training but may not be considered as Allardyce looks elsewhere within his squad.

 

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