Aston Villa have been handed a major boost off the back of last Tuesday's crucial Premier League win with captain Ron Vlaar returning to contention for the FA Cup quarter-final with West Brom this weekend.
The win at the weekend took Tim Sherwood’s team out of the relegation zone, although Alan Hutton pick up a suspension after collecting his 10th booking of the season in the 2-1 win over the Baggies.
As the two midlands teams do battle on Saturday, four days after their Premier League meeting, Dutch international centre back Vlaar’s return from a calf injury has added to an already positive few days at the club.
Vlaar has had an injury-plagued season since opting to remain with the club following an excellent World Cup last summer.
Fellow centre back Philippe Senderos has suffered a set-back in his recovery from a calf injury though and is sidelined while Kieran Richardson, Aly Cissokho, Nathan Baker and Libor Kozak are all also out.
West Brom will be without injured forward Victor Anichebe who is struggling with a groin injury, and cup-tied midfielder Darren Fletcher.
Albion boss Tony Pulis has said he has a few "knocks and niggles" in his squad to assess — winger Callum McManaman (foot) is a doubt, while frontmen Saido Berahino and Brown Ideye have both been playing recently with pain-killing injections. Pulis also said the club "have to go careful" with Stephane Sessegnon, with the forward understood to have suffered a family bereavement, and it remains to be seen whether goalkeeper Ben Foster keeps his place after his costly late error in that defeat at Villa Park on Tuesday
