The previous round proved that West Bromwich Albion are not invincible. They retained the top of the table but have to defend it against Middlesbrough, who crushed Stoke over the weekend.
The Championship schedule is as packed as ever and we are back with a mid-week round. West Brom suffered a catastrophic 3-2 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday, after not creating almost any chances in front of the goal.
The sole positive from that performance was Josh Maja’s goal as he continues to be the main threat in West Brom’s squad.
Middlesbrough have been troubled by inconsistency, alternating between positive and negative results since the start of the campaign. Their away performances have been the main problem thus far with the team losing two out of three outings. Their sole away win was against Cardiff, who reside at the bottom of the table.
The Boro have displayed rank among the best defensive sides in the league and will have to showcase their best effort to survive this visit at The Hawthorns.
How the bookies view it: Closer than expected
Surprisingly, bookmakers did not see West Brom as such an obvious favourite. Betano priced them at 31/20 while the away odds sit at 37/20. Lastly, the draw is currently valued at 9/4.
Recent head-to-head: Perfectly in the middle
West Brom and Middlesbrough rarely have one-sided matches. Neither side has had a long period of supremacy and both teams won multiple times in recent seasons. Both won twice in the last five H2Hs.
Players to watch: Can Maja make it four in a row?
One cannot expect Josh Maja to score in every single match but his recent form makes him the obvious suspect. His efforts and a goal weren’t enough against Sheffield Wednesday but he did win the three points for his team against Plymouth.
He also scored against Portsmouth and provided the winning assist against Swansea. With seven goals in seven Championship games, he should always be on the back of our minds when West Brom are in play.
Probable line-ups
West Bromwich Albion: Palmer, Furlong, Ajayi, Bartley, Townsend, Yokuslu, Mowatt, Wallace, Swift, Diangana, Maja
Middlesbrough: Dieng, Ayling, Edmundson, Clarke, Neto Borges, Morris, Hackney, Jones, Conway, Azaz, Latte Lath
Anything else catch the eye?
Surprisingly, West Brom have scored most of their goals away from home. The team remains undefeated in their stadium but only scored two goals in three fixtures.
At the same time, Middlesbrough only conceded five and scored eight in seven rounds, which also suggests we shouldn’t expect much action in this fixture.
This will be a close contest and we expect a single goal to divide the two sides. Given that we still consider West Brom the best side in the league, we have to back them to win 1:0.
They won four in a row before the misstep against Sheffield and will be extra motivated to return to the winning column in front of their home crowd. Alternatively, you can opt for under 2.5 goals at 17/20 or Josh Maja to score anytime at 17/10 at Betano.
This England Championship match between West Bromwich Albion and Middlesbrough will be played on Oct 1, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best West Bromwich Albion vs Middlesbrough prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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