Albion are likely to face veteran Spanish goalkeeper Pepe Reina when they return to the Amex.

Reina, 37, last night joined their next opponents Aston Villa from Milan on loan until the end of the season.

The former Liverpool keeper returns to the Premier League following a six-year absence after Villa’s No.1 Tom Heaton was ruled out for the remainder of the campaign.

Heaton, who excelled at the Amex for Burnley last season, sustained a knee injury in Villa’s 2-1 victory over his old club on New Year’s Day.

Reina watched Villa’s 6-1 home defeat against Manchester City from the stand.

He said: “It is a great dressing room, and I have been told they are great lads.

“Now we need a mentality to be strong and to be ready for a good battle. We need to play with discipline and remain determined. These kinds of things need to be our basics.”

Head coach Dean Smith added: “We’ve managed to secure a player in Pepe who has a wealth of Premier League experience.

“At the start of the summer we were looking for an experienced goalkeeper and brought in Tom Heaton.

“Unfortunately, his injury has ruled him out for the rest of the season but Pepe fits our criteria not just because of his experience but also because of his leadership qualities.”

Reina spent nearly a decade at Anfield before moving to Bayern Munich in 2014. He then joined Napoli after just one season in Germany.

A move to Milan followed but Reina has featured just once for the Serie A club this term.

If he faces the Seagulls, it will be his first outing since helping the Rossoneri win 2-1 at Genoa on October 5.

It will not, however, be his first match at the Amex.

He was in goal for Liverpool when they beat Albion 2-1 in a League Cup tie early in the 2011-12 season.