Match Previews

Albion v Middlesbrough match preview

Albion will welcome Middlesbrough to The Hawthorns as fourth take on fifth in the Sky Bet Championship (ko 3pm).

The opposition

Middlesbrough are just behind the Baggies in the table, having claimed 47 points from their 28 games so far this season.

They are managed by former Albion boss Tony Pulis, who will return to The Hawthorns for the first time after his tenure in charge of the Club ended in November 2017.

Whilst they have conceded just 20 goals during this campaign, they have only scored 31. In contrast, the Baggies have scored 57.

Last time out

Our last meeting with Middlesbrough ended in heartbreak for Albion as Daniel Ayala scored a late goal to secure a 1-0 victory and steal all three points for the Boro at The Riverside Stadium.

However, the last time that Boro travelled to The Hawthorns in the Championship, Albion won 2-0 thanks to goals from Roman Bednar and Simon Cox.

Stats

Albion

• Dwight Gayle and Jay Rodriguez have scored 28 league goals between them this season - three less than Middlesbrough have in their Sky Bet Championship campaign.

• Albion come into this game off the back of just one loss in their last 14 games in all competitions.

• The last time that the Baggies lost a game at The Hawthorns was back in October.

Opposition

• If you had watched Middlesbrough this season you would have seen 51 goals, 31 for Boro and 20 against. This is the lowest of all the Sky Bet Championship sides, whilst Albion games have included 92 - 57 for the Baggies and 35 against.

• Middlesbrough have only scored three goals in a Sky Bet Championship game once this season, and that was back in August as they played their second game of the season against Sheffield United.

• Boro haven't scored in their last three visits to The Hawthorns.

From the archive

Here are the highlights from Albion's 3-0 win against Middlesbrough at The Hawthorns in January 2009.

Chris Brunt, Marc-Antoine Fortune and Robert Koren all got on the scoresheet as the Baggies comfortably beat 10-men Boro in the Premier League. 

Head to head

Middlesborough come out on top in the head-to-head record.

Of the 94 matches that have been played, the Baggies have triumphed 33 times, there have been 23 stalemates and Middlesbrough have won on 38 occasions.

Man in the middle

The referee for Saturday's match is Tim Robinson, and he'll be assisted by Adrian Waters and Jonathan Hunt - with John Brooks as the fourth official.

Tim has refereed one Albion game this season, taking charge as the Baggies beat Millwall 2-0 at The Hawthorns earlier this season, with Dwight Gayle and Kieran Gibbs grabbing the goals.

Ticket news

Tickets are on general sale and are priced at £20/23 for adults, £15/17 for seniors, £15 for students and U23s, £10 for disabled and U18s and just £5 for U11s.

Seven of Albion's home fixtures have already attracted an attendance in excess of 25,000 this season - with the previous four reaching a sell-out in the home section.

Seats can be secured online, in person from the East Stand Ticket Office or by calling 0121 227 2227.

Follow the game

Comprehensive coverage of the clash with Middlesbrough is available in our Match Centre, where you can listen to live commentary on WBA Radio or follow our live text feed.

WBA Radio is the only service that allows Baggies fans around the world - from Smethwick to the Sahara - access to uninterrupted live commentaries from every one of our competitive games. iFollow subscribers can join Gez Mulholland and Dave Bowler for Baggies-biased live commentary on Saturday.

International supporters who have an iFollow subscription may be able to live stream the game depending on where they are located around the world. To find out, click here.

You’ll also be able to find score updates on the club's social media channels.

Twitter - @WBA

Facebook - West Bromwich Albion

Instagram - wba

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