West Bromwich Albion vs Middlesbrough

24th February

West Bromwich Albion have the opportunity to extend their unbeaten run at The Hawthorns to nine matches in all competitions when Middlesbrough make the trip on Saturday afternoon (ko 3pm).

The Baggies have won seven of their last eight games on home soil but have tasted victory in just one of their last five Sky Bet Championship fixtures, and Carlos Corberán's men will be keen to earn a welcome three points this weekend.

The contest though is about as tough as it comes in the second tier at the moment, with Boro in sensational form and charging towards the top two having put together a remarkable sequence of 12 wins in 14 league matches and five on the spin.

Michael Carrick's side beat QPR 3-1 at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday, two days before Albion's 3-2 setback at Watford.

Follow the game live

Supporters inside the United Kingdom can listen to live audio commentary of Albion's clash with Middlesbrough on WBA Radio.

Regular commentators Gez Mulholland and Andy Johnson will be on air from 2.50pm on Saturday afternoon.

Audio match passes are available for £2.50 and can be purchased here from Thursday lunchtime onwards.

Supporters outside the United Kingdom can watch the match live. Match passes are available for £10 and can be purchased here from Thursday lunchtime.

Live updates will also be posted across the club's social media channels throughout the day.

Our opponents

Middlesbrough head to The Hawthorns this weekend as one of the form teams in the whole of Europe.

Saturday's visitors will be on the hunt for a sixth successive Sky Bet Championship triumph on Saturday and a tenth in 11 league games.

Michael Carrick replaced Chris Wilder in October and the former Manchester United and England midfielder has completely transformed their season, taking them from relegation candidates to automatic promotion-chasers.

Carrick has won 13 of his 17 league matches in charge of the club, losing just three times. It's a record which has helped propel Middlesbrough into the division's biggest threat to the top two, with Carrick's chargers now just four points behind the Blades, who they beat 3-1 in their most recent away fixture in the middle of the month.

The Baggies will be aware of the threat they pose up at the top end of the pitch. Boro have scored exactly three goals in all four of the last four matches and also boast the Championship's top scorer, Chuba Akpom, who has scored 19 times already this term.

Boro have been brilliant since Michael Carrick took charge

From the Albion Archive

Albion's last win at The Hawthorns against Middlesbrough came in April 2010 in a Championship fixture.

Simon Cox's classy finish put the Baggies 1-0 up at the break before Roman Bednar added a second ten minutes into the second 45.

You can watch the highlights below.

One for the stattos

Carlos Corberán and Michael Carrick have taken a combined 71 points from 33 matches in charge of both West Bromwich Albion and Middlesbrough since their appointments in October.

They both made their managerial debuts at their new clubs on Saturday, October 29 and both suffered defeats, with Albion falling to a 2-0 loss at home to Sheffield United, while Boro were beaten 2-1 at Preston North End.

Corberán has won 31 points from his 16 league games, while Carrick has collected 40 points from 17 Sky Bet Championship fixtures.

Carlos Corberán has had a positive impact at The Hawthorns since his arrival in October

Ticket details

Tickets for this weekend's encounter remain on general sale.

Supporters can secure their seats here.

A ticket graphic for Albion's home game against Middlesbrough

25th February

Albion earned a fantastic 2-0 victory against Middlesbrough at The Hawthorns on Saturday afternoon.

Two early goals from Daryl Dike were ultimately the difference, claiming the Baggies all three Sky Bet Championship points and ending Boro’s five-match winning streak.

The result ensures Carlos Corberán’s men remain unbeaten in their last nine home league fixtures, having kept clean sheets in all-but-one of them.

Corberán made three changes to his starting XI, bringing Jayson Molumby, Grady Diangana and Dike into his XI.

And the decision to include the American striker appeared to be an inspired one as he netted a brace to fire Albion two goals ahead inside the opening 10 minutes.

Dike’s first came following an excellent move involving John Swift and Jed Wallace - the latter crossing for the Baggies’ No.12 to poke home from close-range – and the second a well-taken rebound almost straight away.

The hosts then managed to see out the remainder of the half while Middlesbrough looked for a way back – Josh Griffiths making an excellent save to stop Marcus Forss’ goal-bound effort, and a more comfortable one to deny Chuba Akpom’s header.

Goalscorer Dike created himself a great opportunity with some superb footwork in the box immediately after the break – however, Steffen was there to save his low finish.

Albion also had an opportunity to grab their third on the hour-mark, Swift’s dangerous corner finding Dara O’Shea, who nodded inches wide.

Boro came again in the middle and later stages of the second period, though didn’t test Griffiths until the 97th minute, when he brilliantly denied Isaiah Jones only a few yards out.

It was a professional performance from the Baggies back-line, and those in front of them, to get through the lengthy stoppage time, and they left the pitch to a great Hawthorns reception.

Albion: Griffiths; Furlong, O’Shea, Pieters (Ajayi 86), Townsend; Molumby (Gardner-Hickman 90+5), Yokuslu; Wallace, Swift (Chalobah 86), Diangana (Albrighton 50); Dike (Thomas-Asante 77).

Substitutes: Button, Reach.

Attendance: 25,204

Saturday 25th February 2023 - 15:00