Middlesbrough vs West Bromwich Albion Prediction and Betting Tips | December 23rd 2023

Fresh off the back of reaching the EFL Cup semi-finals, Middlesbrough play host to West Bromwich Albion in round 23 of the EFL Championship on Saturday.

Michael Carrick’s men lost both home and away meetings against the Baggies last season and will head into the weekend looking to get one over the visitors.

Middlesbrough booked their spot in the EFL Cup semi-finals on Tuesday when they cruised to a 3-0 victory over Port Vale at Vale Park.

Prior to that, Boro picked up a 2-1 victory over Swansea City on December 16 to bring their run of three consecutive league defeats to an end.

With 30 points from 22 games, Middlesbrough are currently 13th in the EFL Championship table, level on points with 12th-placed Cardiff City.

West Bromwich Albion, on the other hand, fought back from behind to salvage a 1-1 draw against Sunderland at the Hawthorns last weekend.

This followed a 2-0 victory over Rotherham United on December 12 which saw their run of two back-to-back losses come to an end.

With 36 points from 22 matches, Carlos Corberan’s side are currently fifth in the league table, three places above seventh-placed Sunderland just outside the playoffs places.

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Middlesbrough vs West Bromwich Albion Head-To-Head and Key Numbers

• With 42 wins from the last 102 meetings between the two long-time rivals, Middlesbrough hold the upper hand in the history of this fixture.
• West Brom have picked up 36 wins since their first encounter in March 1901, while the spoils have been shared on 24 occasions.
• The Baggies are unbeaten in their last three games against Middlesbrough, claiming two wins and one draw since a 2-1 loss in February 2022.
• Carrick’s men have lost their two Championship home matches, conceding four goals and scoring just once since thrashing Preston North End 4-0 on November 28.
• West Bromwich Albion have won just one of their last four matches while losing twice and claiming one draw since the start of December.

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Middlesbrough vs West Bromwich Albion Prediction

Having lost their first three games in December, Middlesbrough appear to have steadied their ship and will head into the weekend with sky-high confidence.

West Brom have picked up just four points from the last 12 available and we fancy Carrick’s men claiming all three points at the Riverside Stadium.

Prediction: Middlesbrough 2-1 West Bromwich Albion

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Middlesbrough vs West Bromwich Albion Betting Tips

Tip 1: Result - Middlesbrough to win

Tip 2: Both sides to score - Yes (Both sides have scored in four of their last five meetings)

Tip 3: Over 4.5 cards - Yes (There have also been five or more bookings in seven of the last nine meetings between the teams)