Plymouth v West Brom preview: Boss weighs up rotation debate with challenges ahead

That may not be at Plymouth's Home Park tomorrow, before which there has been a full week of training since the 5-1 victory over Portsmouth and no more fitness setbacks.

Albion have actually been boosted in the period since with Kyle Bartley's return to full training. The experienced stopper will be part of the squad in Devon tomorrow though unlikely to start. Fellow defender Semi Ajayi is not far away from a return after a lengthy time out.

The challenge ahead of Mowbray's men at rock-bottom Plymouth is similar to that of the home Pompey clash last weekend - to deliver on expectation and beat struggling opposition.

Argyle, under new boss Miron Muslic, are notoriously tougher nuts to crack at Home Park. Mowbray knows this well after tasting defeat there with Sunderland. But the Baggies are in need of momentum in the play-off race and are expected to see off the strugglers.

Having seen his side - featuring the likes of surprise starters Jed Wallace and John Swift - attack at will against an admittedly weakened Portsmouth last time out, the head coach may be minded to go with the same again, but he knows a squad game is on the horizon.

"Those lads are good pros having spoken to them, they are not selfish and don't care about the team," Mowbray said of Wallace and Swift. "They are very supportive of young players. I just wanted to give them a chance, I like talent and class and they've got lots.

"I thought it that (Portsmouth) game what they were going to bring was more important than what they haven't got in their make-up. In different games they will have to sit on the bench and others will play to try to get the best out of the team against the opposition we're playing.

"I quite like the make-up, there are some flexible players for different positions, either wide or inside, higher or deeper, I'm looking forward to moving it around in three-game weeks before the end of the season, it won't be the same team in every game because there is fatigue issues in Championship football, some players can get a bit jaded.

"I think we've got good options. I try to say that to the lads on the periphery, not in the starting team, that their chance and game time is coming and to be ready, don't be moping around and sulking, because they need to be fit. When I say it might be tomorrow, or next week, or the midweek game after that you're in, they might've been sulking in training and not ready - they all have to be ready.

"That's how you find consistency, keep them on their toes, explain to them why they aren't playing so they see the logic to accept it easier."

Tomorrow's hosts, who parted company with Wayne Rooney in December, are without a league win since early November.

The Baggies then head into a three-game week beginning with Sheffield Wednesday's visit to The Hawthorns on Saturday week.

"A week of training allows us to focus on in and out of possession, focus on the opposition and their strengths and weaknesses, what we have to do to deal with it," added Mowbray.

"Let's hope we can go there to find a performance to get us the points, but nobody will think it's easy. Experience tells you it's never easy to go to Home Park. They date says they haven't won a league game since whenever - let's make sure we're not the ones to fall foul of that and take the right attitude, desire and determination."