Albion midfielders Chris Brunt and Robert Koren have joined the club’s growing injury list with the duo ruled out of the trip to Reading.

Brunt is sidelined with an ankle injury and Baggies medics are waiting for scan results to show the extent of the damage.

Koren has suffered a calf injury that will keep him out of tomorrow’s trip to the Madejski Stadium, which will also come too soon for Roman Bednar and Marek Cech with thigh and groin injuries respectively.

Head coach Roberto Di Matteo said: “Chris Brunt won’t be available. He will be out, and he is added to Marek Cech, Roman Bednar and Gonzalo Jara. Jonas Olsson will have a chance for tomorrow but Robert Koren is struggling.

“Chris Brunt has hurt his ankle and he had a scan last night. We are waiting for the results. Robert Koren has a dead calf muscle. He got a kick and it’s painful and dangerous to play with.

“Robert Koren’s injury won’t be a long-term one but with Chris Brunt we still need to see the scan. It does stretch the squad a little bit because there are five players out for us, which is a big number.

“But we just have to deal with it and we will put 11 players on the pitch and fill the bench.”

But Di Matteo was not tempted to react to the injuries by adding to his squad before yesterday’s deadline for emergency loan signings.

He said: “We’ve got a few loan players now and I am expecting, apart from Jara, the others all to be short-term.

“I am expecting them all to be back in the squad next week or the week after, so it didn’t make sense just to bring a player in for a game or two. It’s late in the season as well so it’s difficult.”

The injuries could open the way for James Morrison and Jerome Thomas to return to the starting line-up, after being among the substitutes for Wednesday’s win over Coventry.

Morrison looks set to replace Koren wide on the right with Thomas taking Brunt’s wide-left berth.

Di Matteo said: “We have used the squad all season through a combination of injuries and suspensions and just the sheer amount of games.”