West Bromwich Albion begin life under Valerien Ismael with a pre-season friendly away at National League side Woking on Friday night.
The Baggies are scheduled to play five fixtures before commencing their Championship campaign, while their opponents will view this encounter as the highlight of their preparations for the new season.
Match preview
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Having tried and failed to bring in a number of different managers as a replacement for Sam Allardyce, the Baggies hierarchy eventually made the decision to pay the required compensation for Ismael.
The Frenchman was arguably the Championship boss of the season during 2020-21 after guiding Barnsley to the playoffs, but he will face bigger expectations during his time at The Hawthorns.
While it appears that Ismael will be given time to achieve success in the West Midlands after penning a four-year contract, he is tasked with earning an immediate return to the Premier League.
A familiar face in Alex Mowatt has joined him in leaving Barnsley for West Brom, with Matthew Clarke the second addition in a season-long loan deal from Brighton & Hove Albion.
More fresh faces will inevitably follow over the coming weeks as West Brom continue their preparations with friendlies against Watford, Sheffield Wednesday, Walsall and Birmingham City.
Woking counterpart Alan Dowson faces a similar rebuilding job after the Surrey outfit's poor conclusion to last season.
The Cardinals failed to win any of their final 16 fixtures of the campaign, their two draws coming against Eastleigh and Stockport County.
Woking would have still avoided the drop even if relegation had been a possibility, but Dowson is aware that he must lift the mood at the club as soon as possible.
Seven fresh faces have already linked up with the first team, including George Oakley who has returned to the south of England after stints with Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Hamilton Academical and Kilmarnock.
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Team News
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Mowatt is in line to feature in the Baggies midfield, while Clarke should be named among the replacements after his transfer earlier this week.
Ismael may also take a look at young midfielder Quevin Moises Castro, who has moved to West Brom on a free transfer.
Sam Johnstone will not be involved after being part of England's Euro 2020 squad, and the same could apply to Romaine Sawyers, who spent time away with Saint Kitts and Nevis last month.
Dowson will name his strongest possible Woking lineup as his side look to start pre-season with a shock win.
Head To Head
These two sides have only met in one competitive match, a fixture which took place in the 1991 FA Cup.
West Brom, who were relegated to the third tier later that season, suffered a shock 4-2 defeat at The Hawthorns.
We say: Woking 1-4 West Bromwich Albion
Ismael has had minimal time to work with his new players on the training ground, potentially handing an opportunity to the home side.
That said, the Baggies' players will be motivated to impress their new head coach, leading us to predict a convincing win for the visitors.
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