Robbie Keane’s calf injury that forced him off against Birmingham on Sunday is set to rule him out of vital trip to the Hawthorns.

WEST HAM striker Robbie Keane is almost certain to miss Saturday’s crunch showdown with West Brom at the Hawthorns as the injuries pile up for the rock-bottom Hammers.

Keane, 30, on loan from Spurs, scored on his West Ham debut at Blackpool, but limped off against Birmingham on Sunday with a calf strain.

He is still being assessed, but he is rated as less then 50/50 to play on Saturday.

That means West Ham may opt for a strike partnership of joint leading scorers Freddie Piquionne and Victor Obinna for the vital game against their fellow relegation rivals.

Also likely to be out are James Tomkins, who injured his calf in the warm-up on Sunday and club captain Matty Upson, who was forced to take his place in the starting line-up, despite not being fully recovered from tendonitis.

With Danny Gabbidon already ruled out with a hamstring strain, that means that manager Avram Grant is likely to pair Winston Reid with Manuel da Costa in the centre of defence, as he did in the second half on Sunday.