West Bromwich Albion's final Sky Bet Championship game before Christmas sees them travel to the North East to take on Middlesbrough on Saturday afternoon (ko 3pm).
The Baggies were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw at home to Stoke City in their most recent match, but still head into the encounter at the Riverside Stadium inside the top six.
Hosts Middlesbrough, who were beaten play-off semi-finalists last term, have been unable to put consistent results together so far in 2023/24 and sit in the middle of the division heading into the festive fixtures.
They won 2-1 at Swansea City last weekend, a result which brought a three-game losing run to an end. Michael Carrick's team also made it through to the last four of the Carabao Cup in midweek, beating Sky Bet League One Port Vale 3-0 in Burslem.
Albion won the reverse fixture 4-2 at The Hawthorns back in August, with Cedric Kipre, John Swift, Brandon Thomas-Asante and Jeremy Sarmiento all on target.
Follow the fixture live
Supporters can listen to live audio commentary of Albion's meeting with Middlesbrough.
Gez Mulholland and former Baggie Andy Johnson will provide live commentary from the Riverside Stadium, with coverage starting at 2.50pm.
Audio passes are available to purchase here.
Details for video streaming on WBA TV will be available here from Thursday afternoon onwards.
Supporters are kindly asked to direct any questions or complaints about WBA TV or WBA Radio to wbatvsupport@streamamg.com.
The club are unable to answer queries about WBA TV or WBA Radio sent to fans@wbafc.co.uk or myalbion@wbafc.co.uk.
Regular updates will also be posted across the club's social media channels throughout the day.
The opponents
Michael Carrick's Middlesbrough will be hoping a prosperous festive period propels them up the division and towards the play-off positions once again.
Boro were beaten by Coventry City in last season's semi-finals having risen from the relegation zone to the top six after Carrick's arrival in October 2022.
This term, the Teessiders have struggled to find consistency and sit in the middle of the standings heading into Christmas, picking up 30 points from their 22 matches.
They've won nine, lost ten and drawn three Championship matches, earning a welcome triumph at Swansea last Saturday in their most recent league encounter after a run of three successive defeats prior to their visit to South Wales.
Saturday's hosts, who'll be buoyed by their Carabao Cup success at Vale Park on Tuesday, will know they have the quality to challenge for a spot in the top six, and they'll be keen to close the gap on the teams above them in the division over the next 12 days.
One to remember
The Baggies scored five unanswered goals up at the Riverside Stadium in September 2009 under Roberto Di Matteo.
Chris Brunt bagged a Championship brace, with Youssouf Mulumbu, Roman Bednar and Jerome Thomas also on target.
Supporters can watch the highlights below.
The last five
Albion 4-2 Middlesbrough
August 26 2023, Sky Bet Championship
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Albion 2-0 Middlesbrough
February 25 2023, Sky Bet Championship
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Middlesbrough 1-1 Albion
July 30 2022, Sky Bet Championship
.
Middlesbrough 2-1 Albion
February 22 2022, Sky Bet Championship
.
Albion 1-1 Middlesbrough
November 6 2021, Sky Bet Championship
Did you know?
The two teams have an identical head-to-head record over the last 12 games.
Both the Baggies and Boro have four victories each, with the other four meetings ending level.
Albion have won the last two and are unbeaten in three against Saturday's hosts.
Middlesbrough's last triumph came at the Riverside Stadium in February 2022 when they secured a 2-1 comeback victory in the Sky Bet Championship.
Ticket details
Tickets are on general sale for Albion’s trip to Middlesbrough.
The Baggies have been handed an initial allocation of 1,854.
Seats are priced £31 Adults, £23 Seniors (65+) and £19 Under-18s. Supporters can purchase online here, in person from the East Stand Ticket Office or by calling 0121 227 2227.
Coach Travel
Coach travel is available for £30, departing Kidderminster at 8:30am, Stourbridge & Lye at 8:45am and The Hawthorns at 9:30am.
Travel colours
Albion will be in their home kit on their travels this weekend.
The last time the Baggies donned their navy-blue-and-white stripes in an away match was at Southampton in early November.
