As well as it has gone so far for Connor Goldson at Glasgow Rangers, a small part of him must be reflecting on the law of sod.

The one that says as soon as you move in search of regular game time, one of the obstacles blocking your path at Albion suffers an injury without a sniff of one in the previous 18 months.

Hence, while Goldson prepares to help Rangers stretch their unbeaten eight-match start under Steve Gerrard in the Europa League and Scottish Premiership, Leon Balogun is in line for his full Albion debut at Anfield.

Goldson (below), a Liverpool fan, made his final appearance there for Albion as a late substitute in place of Shane Duffy in the 4-0 defeat at the end of last season.

The Argus: It It was only his third outing in total, such has been the dominance of Duffy and Lewis Dunk in the centre of the defence since the former arrived from Blackburn two years ago.

Balogun could play as many matches as that in the next couple of weeks, depending on the extent of the damage to Dunk's right ankle in an early challenge with Romelu Lukaku in Sunday's stunning victory over Manchester United at the Amex.

Dunk has been ever-present for Albion in the league since a 3-3 draw at Brentford in February 2017.

Now Balogun, the first signing of the summer within nine days of the closing thrashing at Anfield, has been thrust into the spotlight with unexpected haste.

It is early days but initial evidence suggests snapping him up on a free transfer from Mainz in the Bundesliga, before he headed off for an impressive World Cup with Nigeria and Goldson headed north of the border, could be another smart piece of business by the recruitment team.

Balogun (below) settled in immediately alongside Duffy after Dunk's departure to help Albion to a second memorable victory in three months against United.

The Argus: He blamed himself, somewhat harshly, for leaving Lukaku to nod Jose Mourinho's malfunctioning team temporarily back into contention when others were just as culpable, if not more so, as Albion conceded from a corner yet again.

Duffy, who scored his first Premier League goal for the club before conceding Paul Pogba's consolation penalty at the end, said of his new partner: "He was great. He fitted straight in. He's a big character in the changing room already.

"You can tell. He's got a big voice and he's experienced. He's played in big games against big players.

"That's why we bring in players like that, in case something happens, injuries and suspensions, and they push us.

"That's a plus for us, that we've got strength in depth of top players."

The Duffy-Dunk domination will face a further threat in January when the other centre-half newcomer, Dan Burn, becomes available from his loan return to Wigan to recover from a broken foot bone and get up to speed with games in the Championship.

Duffy said: "It pushes both of us to try to perform. That's what you need. You can't get too comfortable.

"The manager is obviously happy with us, so we've had the shirt.

"But I've seen Leon, I know Dan Burn from playing against him. it's great competition and when they get the chance I'm sure they'll want to try and take it.

"It's up to me and Dunky to not let slip-ups happen and try to perform as well as we did last year."

Duffy was back to his best against United after a groin injury he first felt against them in May was aggravated on club and country duty with the Republic of Ireland, eventually requiring surgery.

"I feel good, I feel strong," he told The Argus. "I'm still coming back from injury, so I feel I'm getting back up to speed. It's only going to get better, hopefully.

"In pre-season it was hard. I couldn't do anything over the summer so coming back unfit, I was doing my pre pre-season when everyone else was flying."

Duffy and Balogun will have their work cut out at Anfield, coping with the frightening fluidity and quality of Jurgen Klopp's attacking options.

It is asking a lot for Albion's poor away form, extended to ten defeats and four draws by the opening day disappointment at Watford, to improve against Liverpool.

Aside from Southampton after the international break, prior to another daunting trip to Manchester City, more realistic opportunities await in October, November and December against the likes of Newcastle, Cardiff, Huddersfield, Burnley and Bournemouth.

Duffy (below) said: "We know we can't get carried away with the (United) result. It's three points and we know what's coming up next. It's even harder. That's the beauty of the league.

The Argus: "We were disappointed that we didn't turn up at Watford and let them stroll over us.

"The manager is stressing that we've got to improve (away). We've had our meetings about where to pick up points.

"Last year wasn't really good enough away from home. We can't really rely on our home form again this year, we've got to pick up more points away.

"It's something we are trying to do. Giving away sloppy goals doesn't help. It's fine magins against teams that are going to be around us. Against the top six teams it's difficult to go away.

"Liverpool are probably strong contenders for the league and Man City, so you've got to be realistic as well.

"As long as we give a good account that's what we've got to do and, against the teams around us, we've just got to play our own game like we do at home and be brave and don't think too much about the fact we are playing away. That's the mindset we've got to go in with."