Jones to prepare for a full strength Baggies

Nathan Jones displays some fancy footwork on Saturday

The Baggies are expected to make changes for the clash having already played three Championship matches so far this term, as they could bring in the likes of former England international Gareth Barry and Scotland’s James Morrison.

However, Jones won’t be second guessing his opposite number Darren Moore, as on if he was going into the contest in the same manner as he would be facing the first team, he said: “We have to as we don’t know what they’re going to do.

“If they make changes, they have a strong squad, like we do.

“They have a very strong Championship squad, just as we have a very strong League One squad.

“Whoever we come up against it will be a stern test and we’ve had to prepare for that.”

Although relegated last term, Baggies boss Moore hasn’t seen his squad ripped apart, with only Ben Foster, Jonny Evans, Salomon Rondon and James McClean from the big names departing.

When asked about the players left at the Hawthorns, Jones continued: I think they’ve lost one or two, the boy Rondon has gone, but the nucleus of the side, and I watched them at (Nottingham) Forest in midweek, that was the same team that played in the Premier League.

“They’ve added Dwight Gayle which is a real strong addition for them and they’re full of Premier League experience.

“So it’s a Premier League team we’re going to come up against really, although obviously they’ve come down.”

Moore has only been in the job a matter of months, after impressing once Alan Pardew left Albion last season.

He was a no-nonsense centre half durin his playing career, making over 100 appearances for the club and on whether he had come up against him on the field, Jones added: “I think I did, but I probably kept away from him on the pitch.

“He was a terrific player for West Brom and has been given an opportunity after doing really well at the end of last season.

“So they’ll have aspirations of getting promoted straight back to the Premier League and they’ve got a squad who’s definitely capable of doing that.”