West Bromwich Albion welcome Middlesbrough to The Hawthorns on Friday night for what will be new Head Coach Eric Ramsay's first match in charge (ko 8pm).
The 34-year-old was appointed shortly after the club's penalty shootout victory over Swansea City in the third round of the Emirates FA Cup on Sunday night, and Ramsay will be targeting three big Sky Bet Championship points in the Baggies' first home fixture of 2026.
Visitors Boro are having an impressive campaign and are in the mix for automatic promotion, sitting second in the standings after 26 games.
They suffered a 3-1 defeat at Premier League Fulham in the FA Cup in their last encounter, but did demolish Southampton 4-0 at the Riverside Stadium in their most recent second-tier clash.
The Baggies were narrowly beaten 2-1 in the reverse fixture back in September, with Aune Heggebø nodding in a late consolation following strikes from David Strelec and Kaly Sene.
Follow the action LIVE
Supporters can listen to live audio commentary of Albion's meeting with Middlesbrough.
Audio passes are available to purchase here.
WBA Radio & WBA TV commentators Gez Mulholland and Andy Johnson will provide live coverage from The Hawthorns, starting at 7.45pm.
Details for video streaming on WBA TV will be available here from Thursday afternoon.
Supporters are kindly asked to direct any questions or complaints about WBA TV or WBA Radio to wbatvsupport@streamamg.com.
The club are unable to answer queries about WBA TV or WBA Radio sent to fans@wbafc.co.uk, myalbion@wbafc.co.uk or enquiries@wbafc.co.uk.
Regular updates will also be posted across the club's social media channels throughout the night.
The opposition
Middlesbrough head to The Hawthorns sat second in the Sky Bet Championship and two points clear of third-placed Ipswich Town despite winning just one of their last five league fixtures.
The Boro bounced back from going four games without a victory by securing an eye-catching 4-0 success over Southampton in their most recent second-tier game, before going on to lose 3-1 at Fulham in the Emirates FA Cup last Saturday.
The Teesside outfit haven't participated in the Premier League since the 2016/17 term and are now into their ninth straight year in the Championship, but there's a real possibility that Friday's visitors will be a top-flight club in 2026/27.
They've collected 46 points from their 26 matches played and are locked into an automatic-promotion battle with a number of teams.
Away from the Riverside, Boro have claimed 19 points from 13 road trips so far, recording five wins and four draws while also suffering four setbacks. They've lost their last two at Derby County and Bristol City without scoring.
Former Hammarby boss Kim Hellberg is the man in charge and has been since the end of November in 2025. The 37-year-old Swede replaced Rob Edwards and has a record of five wins, four defeats and one draw from his opening ten encounters.
Memorable meeting
Albion helped themselves to three unanswered goals and three Premier League points when Middlesbrough came to The Hawthorns in January 2009.
Chris Brunt's early strike meant the Baggies went in 1-0 up at the interval. Marc-Antoine Fortune made it 2-0 just nine minutes into the second period before the visitors had Didier Digard dismissed shortly after the hour.
Robert Koren then sealed the triumph by slotting home in front of the Brummie. Check out the highlights below.
Recent record on home soil against Boro
Albion 0-1 Middlesbrough, October 2024
The Baggies were narrowly beaten 1-0 by Boro at the start of October last season. Hayden Hackney's fine finish from outside the box inside the final 20 minutes proved to be the decisive moment.
Albion 4-2 Middlesbrough, August 2023
The two teams played out a six-goal thriller in B71 in the first month of the 2023/24 term. There were three goals in each half, with the Baggies 2-1 ahead at the halfway stage following efforts from Cedric Kipre and John Swift, as well as Emmanuel Latte Lath. Brandon Thomas-Asante made it 3-1 moments before Tommy Smith was sent off for the visitors. Marcus Forss' late spot-kick made for a nervy finish, but Jeremy Sarmiento sealed the win with a terrific strike at the death.
Albion 2-0 Middlesbrough, February 2023
An early brace from forward Daryl Dike helped Albion secure three Championship points at home to Boro in late February in the 2022/23 season. The American slotted in from close range after meeting a Jed Wallace cross in the eighth minute before going on to convert at the second time of asking less than 120 seconds later. Watch the highlights below.
How's that for a stat
Albion boss Eric Ramsay will be hoping to win his first game in charge of the club on Friday - just as he did when he was at Minnesota United. He helped the MLS outfit to a 2-0 home triumph against Los Angeles FC in March 2024.
The Baggies will want to halt a four-game losing run against Middlesbrough. Albion's last win against the Teessiders was the 4-2 triumph at The Hawthorns in August 2023.
Since winning four games in-a-row between late November and the middle of December in 2025, Middlesbrough have won just one of their last six in all competitions, suffering four defeats and drawing the other.
Only Coventry City and Stoke City have conceded fewer home goals than Albion. The Baggies have let in just 11 in 12 fixtures at The Hawthorns.
The two teams have both changed managers since the reverse fixture in September. Rob Edwards was in charge of Middlesbrough and Ryan Mason was in charge of the Albion when the sides went head-to-head at the Riverside Stadium.
Ticket information
Tickets are on general sale for Albion’s home Sky Bet Championship fixture against Middlesbrough.
Prices start from £32 adults, £27 seniors (65+), £20 20-25s, £15 under-20s, £10 under-17s and £7 under-14s.
Adult disabled supporter tickets are available from £22.
Secure your seat online, in person via the East Stand Ticket Office, or by calling 0121 227 2227.
Please note, tickets will be delivered via the ‘WBA Tickets On The Go’ app.
The app is available to download on smart devices from the Apple Store here and the Google Play Store here.
Baggies fans unable to use a smart phone to enter the stadium will need to contact the Ticket Office.
When buying online, supporters will need to be logged into their My Albion account linked to their ticketing ID. Click here for instructions.
Hospitality
Various hospitality options remain are available for the game against Middlesbrough.
Fans can explore below - and make a booking by clicking here, calling the team on 0121 524 3455, or by emailing hospitality@wbafc.co.uk.
For the supporters
There will be no Fan Zone or post-match bar on Friday.
Supporters are reminded the Fan Zone and post-match bar will not be operational for night fixtures.
