Key Wolves defender misses Black Country derby after suffering injury in training

Ladislav Krejci has been ruled out of Wolves’ Black Country derby against West Brom after suffering a calf injury in training.

The defender misses the showdown at Molineux today (Sunday, September 20), handing Wolves another injury blow ahead of the eagerly anticipated derby.

They are already without star striker Raul Jimenez, who suffered a knee injury in Wednesday night’s EFL Cup defeat at Everton.

But there is better news for Wolves, with Kieran Trippier returning to the starting XI after recovering from a knee problem.

Speaking ahead of kick-off, boss Cesar Peixoto said: “With Kieran, we’ve managed the situation so he can play this game. I think he’s in a good condition to play.

“Krejci felt something yesterday in the training session, so he can’t play today. But we’ll still have a competitive team.”

Adam Armstrong leads the line for Wolves in Jimenez’s absence, having replaced the Mexican at Everton after his injury.

Peixoto believes Armstrong’s experience will stand Wolves in good stead as they cope without their leading striker.

“He did all of pre-season with us and has played a lot of games for us, both as a winger and as a striker,” Peixoto added.

“Raul (Jimenez) came back later from the World Cup, so we’re used to playing without him.

“Of course, we want Raul in the team, but unfortunately these things can happen. Adam is an experienced player. He knows the Championship very well and has scored a lot of goals at this level, so it’s not a problem for us.”