West Brom vs Middlesbrough Tips & Preview - Baggies targeting new manager bounce

By Tolu Shotade

3 hours ago

Tolu Shotade 3 hours ago

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West Brom aim to capitalize on home form with a new manager.
Middlesbrough struggle with away games despite league standing.
Expect potential high-scoring due to both teams' defensive frailties.

West Brom vs Middlesbrough

West Brom welcome Middlesbrough to the Hawthorns for a Friday night English Championship clash, with both teams looking below their best.

While both sides are off form at the moment, the Baggies will be targeting some new manager bounce and have also done some good work at home lately. They will be keen to show their quality over the visitors, who have also looked off colour on their travels.

West Brom News

West Brom have found things difficult lately, losing four of their last five Championship matches, including a 2-1 defeat at Leicester City, which led to the sacking of Ryan Mason. However, they stemmed the tide of losses last weekend, beating Swansea City on penalties in the FA Cup third round after playing out a 1-1 draw in normal time.

The Baggies head into this clash with a new man at the helm and manager Eric Ramsay will be looking to start on a positive note. The good news is that they are unbeaten in eight of their last nine home matches, winning at least one half in seven of those fixtures.

West Brom often look sharp going forward at home and have scored in eight of their last nine matches across all competitions at the Hawthorns. However, they are without a clean sheet in seven of those fixtures while three of the last four matches on this run have produced over 2.5 goals.

Middlesbrough News

Sitting second in the table, six points off the pace, Middlesbrough are the closest challengers to leaders Coventry City. However, Kim Hellberg's team seems to have lost their way lately and are winless in five of their last six matches across all competitions, suffering four defeats on this run.

Middlesbrough claimed a 4-0 home win over Southampton last time out in the Championship, but followed that up with a 3-1 FA Cup defeat at Fulham. That result is part of a poor away record for Boro, who have lost their last three matches on the road.

Poor defending has been one of the problems for Middlesbrough, who are without a clean sheet in nine of their last 10 away matches. However, they have scored in five of the last eight on this run while their last two fixtures have produced over 2.5 goals.

Head to Head

Middlesbrough have seven wins and two draws, while West Brom have picked up three victories in the last 12 matches. The visitors claimed a 2-1 home victory in the reverse fixture back in September.

Verdict

West Brom v Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough may boast a solid record in this fixture, but head into Friday's clash struggling to find their best form. Meanwhile, West Brom have won at least one half in seven of their last nine home matches and could be set for a repeat here.

Both teams have shown some frailties at the back and could be set to score. With three of West Brom's last four matches producing over 2.5 goals, a similar outcome could also be considered here.

West Brom

To Win Either Half

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Yes

Both Teams to Score

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Over 2.5

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