West Brom vs Middlesbrough Prediction: Interesting battle at The Hawthorns

Eric Ramsay takes charge of his first West Bromwich Albion match on Friday as Middlesbrough make the trip to The Hawthorns (20:00 GMT, Sky Sports Main Event).

Albion have a decent home record heading into this, while Boro's away form has taken a hit in recent weeks. Read on for my West Brom vs Middlesbrough predictions, supported by the latest match odds and team news.

Team News

West Brom midfielder Ousmane Diakite is away on compassionate leave and won't be involved in Friday's clash.

Alex Williams (ankle) and Tammer Bany (thigh) remain sidelined through injury.

After being rested in the FA Cup third round tie with Swansea City, we should see Karlan Grant and Aune Heggebo restored to the lineup, with the latter scoring eight league goals already this term.

Jayson Molumby and Alex Mowatt will need to be assessed after missing the last match through injury.

Football Odds

Middlesbrough are without defenders George Edmundson, Alfie Jones, Darragh Lenihan, Callum Brittain and Alex Bangura due to various injuries, while midfielder Riley McGree is also in the treatment room.

Morgan Whittaker is Boro's main man at the moment with seven goals in his last 10 Championship appearances.

Today's Football Fixtures

West Brom vs Middlesbrough Odds

West Brom have won four of their last six home games in the league and they are 6/4 (implied probability of 40%) to get off to a winning start under Ramsay.

The draw is marketed at 9/4, which has been the outcome in seven of Middlesbrough's 26 Championship outings this term.

Boro are 15/8 to collect the three points, having won 4-0 at home to Southampton in their previous league appearance, as well as beating Albion 2-1 in the reverse fixture back in September.

Draw No Bet - Middlesbrough @ 1/1

On top of this being Ramsay's first game, this should be an interesting contest because Albion's home record of late has been strong and Middlesbrough's recent away results have been disappointing.

The Teessiders are six points behind league leaders Coventry and with the Sky Blues suffering a dip in form over the past month, they have been reducing the deficit. They know that a win here can take them within three points of Cov and Kim Hellberg's side will want to put their recent defeats on the road behind them.

After all, they had been victorious in their two away trips before the two losses and the 4-0 thumping of Southampton in their latest league appearance should give them a lift heading to The Hawthorns.

Albion have a been a strong force at home this term, particularly in recent months, and it is for that reason that I'm not massively confident in Boro triumphing here, so I think covering them in the draw no bet market is a much safer play.

Anytime Goalscorer - Morgan Whittaker @ 23/10

Only Southampton's Adam Armstrong (11) has more league goals this season than Boro's Whittaker (10). The winger had a difficult start to life on Teesside, having joined as a star from Plymouth Argyle.

It took him a while to get going, 10 months to be exact, with his first goal coming in October. But the Derby County academy graduate hasn't looked back since. In his past 11 outings in the second tier, the attacker has netted eight goals, including a brace last time out against Southampton.

He should be brimming with confidence heading to the West Midlands and I think he's a good price to add to his tally on Friday night.

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