Preview: West Bromwich Albion vs. Middlesbrough - prediction, team news, lineups

Both sides have lofty ambitions of earning promotion to the Premier League this season, although Boro are currently a mammoth 12 points ahead of the Baggies as they hunt down Sheffield United.

Match preview

The defensive solidity that was a hallmark of Carlos Corberan's Baggies in the past few months has started to fade over recent matches, and with that their ability to collect regular wins has also.

West Brom were on the wrong end of a five-goal thriller at Vicarage Road on Monday night, with second-half strikes from Conor Townsend and Jed Wallace not being enough for any points on the night.

For the third game in succession, goalkeeping and defensive errors cost Albion a greater share of the points, with both David Button and youngster Josh Griffiths struggling to fill the void left by the injured Alex Palmer in between the sticks.

Despite losing four of their last six in all competitions, West Brom at The Hawthorns will be an undesirable destination for visiting teams until the end of the campaign - Albion were last defeated on home soil way back in October.

Even just a couple of weeks ago, no one believed that anyone outside of Burnley and Sheffield United could earn automatic promotion this campaign, although that narrative has changed dramatically now.

Boro are now just four points behind the Blades in the Championship standings, with Michael Carrick doing a sensational job since taking over from the departed Chris Wilder earlier in the term.

The Teesside club extended their winning run in the second-tier to five matches last time out at the Riverside, with a brace from Chuba Akpom and a strike from Riley McGree securing a 3-1 win over Queens Park Rangers.

The aforementioned Akpom is having a highly-impressive campaign under the managerial guidance of Carrick - the 27-year-old currently leads the division's scoring charts with 19 goals.

West Bromwich Albion Championship form:

W

L

W

L

D

L

West Bromwich Albion form (all competitions):

L

L

W

L

D

L

Middlesbrough Championship form:

L

W

W

W

W

W

Team News

West Brom have no fresh injury concerns after that defeat at Watford, although Corberan is likely to make several changes to his XI, with Daryl Dike and Jayson Molumby pushing for starts.

Two older heads remain sidelined for the Baggies, with Kyle Bartley and Matt Phillips unavailable due to foot and muscle injuries respectively.

Middlesbrough have a former Albion man in their medical room at the moment, with centre-back Matthew Clarke set to be out until next month with a recurring back issue.

Carrick is likely to name an unchanged side this weekend, but Jonathan Howson will be pushing for a place in the XI ahead of Daniel Barlaser.

West Bromwich Albion possible starting lineup:

Griffiths; Furlong, O'Shea, Pieters, Townsend; Yokuslu, Molumby, Wallace, Swift, Diangana; Dike

Middlesbrough possible starting lineup:

Steffen; Smith, McNair, Lenihan, Giles; Barlaser, Hackney, Ramsey, Akpom, McGree; Archer

We say: West Bromwich Albion 1-1 Middlesbrough

West Brom have started to stutter in their playoff charge for the first time under Corberan, and the visit of an in-from Middlesbrough is not the easiest game to get back to winning ways in.

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