JONAS Olsson is optimistic he will be back for Albion’s trip to Stoke City tomorrow.

The defender has not played since injuring his calf during a training session on New Year’s Eve.

His return cannot come soon enough, with Albion having lost all their league games in his absence.

And the Swede has given boss Roy Hodgson a boost by declaring he should be fit.

“I feel a lot better,” said Olsson, speaking at the Albion Foundation’s Activating Attendance programme yesterday.

“It happened in training on New Year’s Eve, just before the Everton game.

“I was just chasing the ball and got a little strain.

“It’s a minor thing but it is one of those where you can’t play through the pain otherwise you will definitely make it worse. Me and the medical team have been quite careful about not returning too early and treating it with good care.

“I’ve been training with the team the whole week and hopefully I’ll be fit for tomorrow.”

He continued: “It’s always frustrating being injured, especially this time of year when the games are so tight, so if you miss out for two weeks that’s four games.

“It’s not nice being injured but I did a lot of stuff in the gym and it could be good to have had a bit of rest at this time of year to help me for the remainder of the season.

“I like to be involved. I’m in the dressing room before the game and down there at half-time.

“You don’t want to feel excluded and you want to pass on some positive energy to the guys.