West Bromvs.Portsmouth

The Baggies came up short at the home of Middlesbrough last time out, whilst Pompey enjoyed a much-needed victory at Fratton Park over Stoke City.

Match preview

Back after nearly two decades away, Tony Mowbray took to the touchline for West Bromwich Albion on Tuesday night on Teesside, where his side were undoubtedly second best against a Middlesbrough crop who are in direct competition with the Albion for a spot in the playoffs.

Midfielder Hayden Hackney opened the scoring for Boro in the first half, and although the Baggies threatened to equalise in the second period, a wonderstrike from Scotland international Ben Doak past Alex Palmer put the game to bed, sending the visitors packing to the Black Country.

Winless across their last three Championship contests, West Brom are currently occupying seventh spot in the Championship table, just a single point behind John Eustace's Blackburn Rovers, who are guarding entry to the playoffs despite losing at home to Coventry City earlier in the week.

Despite losing just once in 13 Championship matches at The Hawthorns this term, the Baggies rank only 12th in the second-tier home standings, with Mowbray's men winning just five of those contests.

Portsmouth ended their 12-year absence from the second tier of English football last season after winning League One, with the remit for the South Coast club in 2024-25 being to secure their status in the Championship, a mission that looks set to go down to the final moments of the term.

That being said, Pompey made major strides towards safety over the past fortnight with a pair of enjoyable wins at Fratton Park, securing a 2-1 success over Middlesbrough on January 18 before smashing Stoke 3-1 on Wednesday night.

After languishing in the relegation places over the festive period, back-to-back triumphs for Portsmouth have propelled them up to 18th spot in the Championship rankings, three points above Ruben Selles's Hull City, who are currently occupying the highest of the bottom-three places.

Following a six-strike campaign in League One during the 2023-24 campaign, Callum Lang is showing his class on the second-tier stage, scoring 10 goals across 23 Championship appearances so far.

West Bromwich Albion Championship form:

L

D

W

D

D

L

West Bromwich Albion form (all competitions):

D

W

D

L

D

L

Portsmouth Championship form:

L

W

L

L

W

W

Portsmouth form (all competitions):

W

L

L

L

W

W

Team News

Mowbray has commenced his return to West Brom without the talents of the club's leading marksman, with Josh Maja now sidelined until April due to a calf issue.

There are also issues to contend with at the back for the Baggies, who are battling on without the services of both Kyle Bartley and Semi Ajayi.

The first official signing of the second Mowbray era at The Hawthorns arrived earlier in the week, with Northern Ireland international Isaac Price joining from Standard Liege in Belgium.

Portsmouth are also short of options in defensive positions, with 26-year-old Regan Poole out of action until next month because of a hamstring strain.

Paddy Lane has been a consistent appearance-maker for Pompey this term but is set to be sidelined for a few weeks owing to a knee injury.

West Bromwich Albion possible starting lineup:

Palmer; Furlong, Holgate, Heggem, Styles, Molumby, Mowatt, Fellows, Swift, Johnston; Grant

Portsmouth possible starting lineup:

Schmid; Williams, Pack, Atkinson, Ogilvie; Hayden, Potts, Ritchie, Lang, Murphy; Bishop

We say: West Bromwich Albion 1-0 Portsmouth

With a hostile Hawthorns crowd behind them on Mowbray's return, West Brom will be expecting a return to winning ways against relegation-threatened Portsmouth.

Written by

Carter White

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