Mowbray sweats on midfielder's fitness

Tony Mowbray has confirmed West Brom star Robert Koren suffered a knee injury against Hartlepool and is racing to be fit for Bolton.

The Baggies boss will have to monitor the 27-year-old Slovenian international midfielder after he limped away from Tuesday's 3-1 Carling Cup extra-time defeat against the League One outfit at Victoria Park. It is thought he hurt the same knee which was damaged in the club's first pre-season friendly against Borussia Monchengladbach in mid-July.

That problem meant Koren missed a large chunk of the build-up towards the new season which resulted in him only returning to the first-team fold against Everton last Saturday. However, Mowbray is hoping that the new injury to the same knee is not as severe and he should be able to line up at the Reebok Stadium this weekend.

Mowbray said: "He is feeling his knee a little bit I think but hopefully it's not a lasting injury, just fatigue. He took a knock on it but I don't think it's a serious problem."