Odemwingie is Albion's leading scorer with six goals this season following his summer move from Lokomotiv Moscow and his pace and power have troubled many Premier League defences. But the Nigeria international has started to pick up a series of niggling injuries in recent weeks with a knee setback followed by current calf and groin problems. Baggies head coach Di Matteo feels a relentless schedule has not helped the cause of Odemwingie, who is a major doubt for Sunday's derby with Wolves at The Hawthorns. He started the Russian season in March, then went to the World Cup without a break, and had only a handful of days off before joining Albion's pre-season campaign. Di Matteo said: "Peter hasn't had a break and you can see a lot of players involved in the World Cup are having problems at this stage of the season. "It was expected and we know it's something we have to deal with because that is the reality. "Peter has played in the World Cup and the Russian season is different because they play through the summer as well. "I think he had eight or nine days off before he joined up with us. "We just have to do our best to keep him fit for as long as possible." Di Matteo said: "The trouble is, once you get one injury, you start compensating for it - and then get another injury. "His knee has cleared up but now he has the calf strain that needs time to heal. "He hasn't been involved with us this week, and it's now Friday, so it is very doubtful he'll be ready for Sunday." Di Matteo admits he is weighing up how best to compensate for the loss of Odemwingie. But he is aware that Albion need to be more ruthless in front of goal after failing to take advantage of their territorial dominance in last weekend's defeat at Aston Villa. He said: "I haven't got the answer yet. I've been trying out a few options without Peter. "We are aware of the need for fire-power. We've won games without Peter Odemwingie. "But we have to be more clinical in front of goal. When we get an opportunity we must take the chance. "We know in the Premier League the other team can have three chances and score three goals." Albion are currently lying in mid-table and Di Matteo has urged his players to make sure home advantage counts against their local rivals. He said: "We had a meeting about (the derby) and the players are very much aware of it because a lot of them have been at the club for many years now. "Some of them have been involved previously in derbies. They know what the importance of the game is. "The fact is also that Wolves are a competitor for us. I know there is a lot of rivalry and history. "The bottom line is that we are fighting against someone who is fighting for the same position in the table as us. "We need to make sure we take advantage of being at home. "We're playing at home, we'll have the support of our fans, and we want to do well and get some points under our belts."
