ALBION's Sunday opponents Leeds were dealt a triple blow last night as the Yorkshire side could be without three more players for the Premier League clash at Elland Road.
The Yorkshire side lost 3-0 to Chelsea, but the defeat was made worse by Dan James' first-half red card and Jack Harrison's injury.
James, who Albion boss Graham Potter knows from his time at Swansea City, was given his marching orders after a bad tackle on Matteo Kovacic.
Leeds star Raphinha was also withdrawn from the match as a precaution.
The two attackers now face a race against time to be fit for the match against an inform Albion side.
James will miss the game through suspension and will join Luke Ayling on the naughty step as the defender is will still be suspended after his horror challenge on Gabriel Martinelli on Saturday.
Boss Jesse Marsch said James “felt terrible” about his costly 24th-minute dismissal, but refused to point the finger at his player.
“One thing is for sure, I’m not going to sit here and blame anyone,” the American said.
“We have to be aggressive against the ball. We have to try to win balls and sometimes now we’ve been a little too aggressive in certain situations and that has cost us.
“I think the situation with the table has something to do with it, has everything to do with our situation right now.
“We want to be aggressive, but certainly not cross the line.”
Leeds’ third straight defeat left them in the bottom three, level on points with Burnley who have a game in hand, and have two games left – at home against Albion and at Brentford on the final day – to salvage a calamitous season.
Leeds are also without Adam Forshaw, Stuart Dallas and Tyler Roberts who are all out with injury.
Striker Patrick Bamford could make his return from injury as Marsch confirmed that he could be training with the team by the end of the week.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel