Joao Teixeira is facing another game out in the cold for Albion – despite reduced attacking options for manager Sami Hyypia.

Kazenga LuaLua has been ruled out for several weeks by the medial knee ligament injury he sustained in the first half of last Saturday’s 2-1 home defeat by Fulham.

Adrian Colunga, sent off in the closing stages against Fulham, also misses Saturday’s trip to Championship leaders Derby County through suspension but Teixeira is still unlikely to make the squad.

The Portuguese under-21 prospect borrowed from Liverpool in August was the unfortunate victim against Fulham of the rule allowing only five loan players to feature in the matchday 18.

Joe Bennett, Gary Gardner, Elliott Bennett and Darren Bent are all certain starters again at Derby and the versatile Greg Halford is needed on the bench once more to provide cover for stand-in centre-half Aaron Hughes, with skipper Gordon Greer (swollen knee) expected to be missing for the second match in succession.

Hyypia has sympathy for Teixeira but is hoping he reacts in the right way.

The Finn told The Argus: “He can’t switch off, the situation is how it is and at the moment I can’t do anything about it. He just needs to train well and make a problem for me. If he shows me in training the desire and he is doing the right things then it can happen that another player won’t be in the squad and he is.

“I would always like to have a centre-back on the bench. I think that’s an area that is sometimes very hard to replace.

“The advantage with Greg is that centre-back is not the only position where he can fill in, so it will be difficult for Saturday, because Kaz is not there and Adrian is suspended.”