West Brom trio could return for Liverpool clash but Gareth Barry still sidelined

Experienced midfielders Gareth Barry and James Morrison will remain absent for West Bromwich Albion's midweek Premier League date with Liverpool, while it remains to be seen if the trio of Craig Dawson, Matt Phillips and Nacer Chadli might feature at Anfield after injury.

The struggling Baggies travel to Merseyside on Wednesday night (13 December) hoping to avoid setting a new club record for the longest run of matches without a victory (16) across all competitions, after equalling their 1995-96 mark with a 1-0 defeat to fellow relegation battlers Swansea City at the weekend.

Such a dispiriting loss – new manager Alan Pardew's first as West Brom boss following a goalless draw with former employers Crystal Palace – coupled with West Ham United's shock win over Chelsea left West Brom 17th and hovering above the relegation zone on goal difference only.

The upcoming fixture list offers no respite for the West Midlands club, who now face successive contests against Liverpool and Manchester United and also host Arsenal before the New Year.

"Gareth Barry isn't available tomorrow," Pardew said at his pre-match press conference on Tuesday. "We will have to wait and see about Nacer Chadli and Matty [Phillips]. James Morrison won't play against Liverpool."

Barry, the English top-flight's all-time appearance leader who joined from Everton in August, limped off just 30 minutes into that stalemate with Palace at The Hawthorns after suffering a thigh strain. Pardew later insisted that the issue was not as bad as first feared and that Barry could even be back in contention for the visit of Manchester United.

Dawson and Morrison have been longer-term absentees, with the former ruled out for two months in late October as the result of a torn knee capsule and thigh muscle-bleed sustained during a collision with teammate Allan Nyom in the 1-0 defeat at Southampton.

The centre-back did not require surgery, although long-serving midfielder Morrison, who was absent for the start of the season with a knee ligament issue, did undergo a procedure on a persistent achilles tendon injury in Portugal during the November international break. He is expected to return at some stage during the festive period.

Chadli, meanwhile, missed out on a meeting with the club he almost joined over the summer in Swansea due to a hip tear picked up in training shortly after returning from Belgium duty last month.

The former Tottenham Hotspur winger had made just two league appearances before that break after missing pre-season and Pardew's predecessor, Tony Pulis, was incensed that he played all but seven minutes for his country in friendlies against Mexico and Japan despite not feeling 100% fit.

Phillips has also sat out both of the new manager's first two games in charge after hurting his hamstring in the 2-2 home draw with Newcastle United on 28 November that saw West Brom blow a two-goal second-half lead.