West Bromwich Albion are back in the north east for the second time in four days as they take on Middlesbrough in the Sky Bet Championship at the Riverside this Saturday lunchtime (ko 12.30pm).
James Morrison's Baggies suffered their first defeat of the season at Newcastle United in the second round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night, falling to a narrow 3-2 loss despite a spirited showing against the Premier League outfit.
Hosts Middlesbrough were also in Carabao Cup action in the week, advancing to round three thanks to a 3-1 triumph at Doncaster Rovers on Tuesday.
The two sides last met at the Riverside almost a year ago when Boro went top with a 2-1 win in mid-September. David Strelec and substitute Kaly Sene put daylight between the sides before Aune Heggebø netted a consolation in the final minutes.
LIVE matchday coverage
Supporters can listen to live audio commentary of Albion's clash with Middlesbrough.
Audio passes are available to purchase here.
WBA Radio & WBA TV duo Gez Mulholland and Andy Johnson will provide live commentary from Teesside, with coverage starting at 12.15pm.
Details for video streaming on WBA TV will be available here.
As always, 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, myalbion@wbafc.co.uk or enquiries@wbafc.co.uk.
Regular updates will also be posted across the club's social media channels throughout the day.
The hosts
Hotly tipped to challenge at the top of the Sky Bet Championship this season, Middlesbrough have started the season with a mixed run of form.
The campaign began with an encouraging Carabao Cup win over another second-tier side with high aspirations this year, Wrexham. Boro backed that up with an opening day victory at home to newly-promoted Lincoln City, but will have been disappointed to suffer defeat away at Blackburn Rovers last weekend.
Kim Hellberg's side returned to winning ways in midweek though, securing their place in the third round of the Carabao Cup with a 3-1 success at Doncaster Rovers.
Saturday's hosts have had a very impressive transfer window so far and they've added nine new additions to the squad. Radek Vitek, Ashley Phillips, Will Lankshear, Kyle Joseph, Sam Byram and Jeremy Sarmiento all departed Premier League sides to sign in the north east, while Sebastian Berhalter and Max Arfsten moved in from the MLS. Myles Peart-Harris also joined from Oxford United, however, they did lose 2025/26 Championship Player of the Season Hayden Hackney to Everton.
Head coach Hellberg managed five teams in his native Sweden before taking charge of Boro back in November last year. He proved to be a huge success and lost just seven times in his 29 Championship games in his first season, finishing fifth.
The 38-year-old and his side suffered play-off final heartbreak last May. Ollie McBurnie's 95th-minute winner at Wembley sent Hull to the Premier League and left Middlesbrough to contend with another season of second-tier football. However, the Teesside outfit will surely be using that motivation to go one better this time and secure a spot at the top level of English football.
Albion's last five results against Boro
Albion 2-3 Middlesbrough
January 2026, Sky Bet Championship
Middlesbrough 2-1 Albion
September 2025, Sky Bet Championship
Middlesbrough 2-0 Albion
January 2025, Sky Bet Championship
Albion 0-1 Middlesbrough
October 2024, Sky Bet Championship
Middlesbrough 1-0 Albion
December 2023, Sky Bet Championship
Classic clash
Albion put five past Middlesbrough at the Riverside in 2009. Former Boro player Chris Brunt was in fine form, netting twice from distance to hand the Baggies a 2-0 advantage.
Youssouf Mulumbu then made it three with a fantastic header before half time, and Roman Bednar and Jerome Thomas completed the rout in the second period.
Check out the highlights below.
Did you know...?
Albion boss James Morrison played all of his 438 club games in his career for the Baggies and Middlesbrough. Morrison came through the youth ranks at the Riverside Stadium and featured 97 times for Boro before making the switch to The Hawthorns in 2007.
Only one of the last seven meetings between the two clubs at the Riverside Stadium has ended level - a 1-1 draw on the opening day of the 2022/23 term.
Baggies midfielder Isaac Price and Middlesbrough striker Will Lankshear have both scored four goals in the opening four games of the season. Price and Lankshear netted in midweek Carabao Cup matches against Newcastle United and Doncaster Rovers respectively.
Albion are aiming to win three straight league games for the first time since a run of three between May and August in 2025 when they beat Luton Town on the final day of the 2024/25 term, as well as Blackburn Rovers and Wrexham in the opening two matches of the 2025/26 campaign.
The 2026/27 campaign is Middlesbrough's tenth consecutive term in the Sky Bet Championship. They've finished tenth or higher in eight of the previous nine seasons in the second tier.
Ticket details
Tickets are on general sale for Albion’s Sky Bet Championship fixture at Middlesbrough. The Baggies have been given an allocation of 2,118.
Seats are priced £33 Adults, £26 Seniors (65+) and £15 Under-18s. Supporters can purchase online, in person from the East Stand Ticket Office, or by calling 0121 227 2227.
Baggies Travel
Coach travel is available for £40, departing at the following times:
Kidderminster - 6am
Stourbridge & Lye - 6.15am
The Hawthorns - 7am
It can be purchased online, in person from the East Stand Ticket Office or by calling 0121 227 2227.
