Middlesbrough vs West Bromwich Albion

20th February

West Bromwich Albion return to Sky Bet Championship action on Tuesday night when they travel to Middlesbrough (ko 7.45pm).

Baggies boss Steve Bruce will be demanding an improvement from his side after they lost 2-0 at Luton on Saturday.

Hosts Boro sit one point and one place outside the play-off spots having surged up the division following a run of eight victories in their last 15 games, losing just three of those.

They did, however, suffer a disappointing 2-1 defeat at Bristol City on the same afternoon Albion were beaten at Kenilworth Road.

How to follow the game

Live Baggies-biased commentary will be available on WBA TV Matchday from 7.30pm. Seasonal and monthly subscribers can access the commentary by clicking here on Tuesday night, or on the free-to-download WBA app.

If you don’t already have a subscription, you can purchase a commentary match pass for £2.50 by clicking here.

Opposition

Middlesbrough find themselves in the thick of a battle for a play-off spot having improved under new boss Chris Wilder.

Wilder took charge in early November after former manager Neil Warnock parted company with the club following their 1-1 draw with Albion at The Hawthorns.

Since then, Boro have risen from 14th to seventh in the table and are now just one point and one place behind Wilder’s previous side Sheffield United in sixth.

If the Sky Bet Championship table was based on the last 20 games alone, Middlesbrough would be third.

Tuesday’s hosts are flying at home, winning all of their last six matches at the Riverside, scoring 11 goals in the process.

Steve Bruce will know his team need to be at their best if they’re to come away from Teesside with a positive result. Middlesbrough have lost just two of their last 14 games, but one of those was in their most recent encounter, falling to a 2-1 reverse at Bristol City on Saturday.

Boro will be targeting a seventh consecutive home win

Classic clash

Albion put five past Middlesbrough in September 2009 in a Championship fixture.

Chris Brunt (2), Youssouf Mulumbu, Roman Bednar and Jerome Thomas were all on target in a huge away win.

Did you know?

Albion have lost just one of their last seven games at the Riverside Stadium against Middlesbrough.

That defeat came in August 2019, when Boro defender Daniel Ayala scored a 90th-minute winner.

There have been three draws and three Baggies victories in the other six games.

Hal Robson-Kanu scored the only goal of the match the last time Albion visited the Riverside in October 2019.

HRK bundles home our winner at Boro in 2019

Away kit colours

Just like at Luton on Saturday, Albion will be their home kit at Middlesbrough.

Home colours for Albion for the second time this week

LV BET's latest odds

Albion come in at 9/4 (3.25) to secure all three points against Middlesbrough.

LV BET have Bruce’s boys priced at 15/4 (4.75) to win the game without conceding, and at 15/2 (8.50) to replicate their previous result at the Riverside Stadium and win the game 0-1.

Karlan Grant measures up at 53/20 (3.65) to score his 11th goal of the season this Tuesday, while Andy Carroll comes in at 7/1 (8.00) to score the final goal of the game.

Register here and use the code WBAxLVBET to claim a £5 No Deposit Bonus and a chance to win WBA hospitality tickets! 18+ begambleaware.org. Terms apply. Odds are subject to change.

22nd February

Albion were beaten 2-1 by Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium on Tuesday night.

The Baggies took an advantage into the interval thanks to Jayson Molumby’s first goal in blue and white.

But second half efforts from Paddy McNair and Marcus Tavernier ensured the three Sky Bet Championship points would remain with Boro.

Dara O’Shea returned to the starting XI for the first time since August as Steve Bruce made two changes, bringing the Irish international and Grady Diangana into the line-up.

And it was Diangana who created the opening chance when he played Karlan Grant in down the left, but the Albion forward’s initial shot was blocked and his second flew wide.

Middlesbrough controlled much of the early possession yet only really tested Sam Johnstone once, the goalkeeper reacting quickly to keep Riley McGree’s low effort out.

Instead the Baggies managed to open the scoring - breaking their duck in the process - just before the half-hour mark. Andy Carroll span his man and saw a cross deflected out to the edge of the box, where Molumby was there to side-foot home.

They held their lead until the break before then coming out and searching for a second straight away, Joe Lumley getting across to stop Carroll’s ambitious volley a few minutes after half-time.

An hour in, though, Middlesbrough found an equaliser through McNair’s close-range finish.

And the hosts had a spell of dominance following their goal, which ended with Tavernier netting inside the box to turn the game around.

Callum Robinson, Rayhaan Tulloch and Darnell Furlong were brought on to try and salvage something for the Baggies, however Boro managed to withstand late pressure and earn the win in Teesside.

Albion: Johnstone; O’Shea, Ajayi, Bartley, Townsend (Furlong 81); Reach (Robinson 76), Mowatt, Molumby; Diangana (Tulloch 80), Carroll, Grant.

Substitutes: Button, Kipré, Clarke, Gardner-Hickman.

Tuesday 22nd February 2022 - 19:45