Middlesbrough v West Brom
15:00
Middlesbrough avoided embarrassment by winning 1-0 against Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup at the weekend, and they will face a sterner test when West Brom visit the Riverside midweek. Aitor Karanka’s men sit four points clear of the drop zone and have lost only one of their last five home games, but they will want to put more breathing room between themselves and the drop zone against a side they have not beaten in league play since 2006.
The good news for Middlesbrough is that West Brom have been weak on their travels, winning just twice in their last 10 road games. They’ve drawn five of their last six away against bottom-six sides, with the last four of those being 1-1 draws in which they threw away a 1-0 half-time lead – we could see Middlesbrough go behind early before levelling things up after half time. Five of Middlesbrough’s seven games against middle-third teams this season have seen fewer than three goals, as have all of West Brom’s last 12 away at bottom-six sides, so expect this to be a low-scoring encounter.
West Brom’s habit of letting leads go against weaker teams suggests they’ll lack the incisiveness to win this one, but Middlesbrough have won only one against middle-third sides this season, so we doubt they’ll beat Tony Pulis’s men. We’ll back the Draw and Under 2.5.
