BOSTJAN Cesar has not been included in Albion reserves' final 16-man squad for tonight's clash against Coventry (ko 7pm) ahead of Friday's Championship trip to Charlton (ko 4.45pm).

The Baggies are sweating on the fitness of Leon Barnett, who is due to undergo a scan today on the hamstring injury he suffered in the 82nd-minute of Saturday's 4-1 defeat by Leicester.

But the former Luton centre-half is unlikely to be fit to face the Addicks, leaving a vacancy at the heart of the Albion defence.

Tony Mowbray is hopeful Carl Hoefkens will be available at right-back after missing the last three games with a hamstring injury.

But James Morrison (ankle) and Chris Brunt (hamstring) are again expected to miss out.

"The physio's first thoughts were that Leon's injury was similar to Brunt's," said the Hawthorns boss.

"Rather than a bad tear he my just have pulled a few fibres, which hopefully won't be too bad.

"I'd like to think Hoefkens has got a chance but I don't think Morrison or Brunt have.

"It's probably going to be the next game after that for those two."

Craig Beattie has also returned from his loan spell at Preston for treatment on the hamstring injury that will rule him out for the remainder of the league campaign.

"Beattie's injury dictates he won't play in the remaining league fixtures," Mowbray added.

"He's back here rehabilitating and having his injury looked after.

"It's unfortunate for Craig that he's gone out to get some game time and got injured.

"That happens.

"It's part and parcel of football and is the gamble for any club when you let players out on loan."

Jared Hodgkiss, Michal Danek, Sherjill MacDonald and Bartosz Slusarski are the only senior pros named in the Baggies' second-string squad to face the Sky Blues in the Pontin's Holidays League Division One (Central) clash at Aggborough.

ALBION: Danek, Hodgkiss, Saied, Mason, Pike, Labadie, MacDonald, Worrall, Slusarski, S Morrison, Compton. Subs: Knight, Holmes, Lake-Gaskin, Nicholls, Samuels.

COVENTRY: Ireland, Borrowdale, Hall, Birchall, Hawkins, DeZeeuw, Cairo, Hughes, Andrews, Simpson, Gray. Subs: Davies, Collett, Giggins, Hildreth, Griffiths.

REFEREE: D Coote.

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