Middlesbrough vs West Brom Prediction: Both teams have a habit for drawing

Tony Mowbray is back at West Bromwich Albion and his first Championship fixture sees him travel to face another former employer in Middlesbrough, at the Riverside Stadium on Tuesday (19:45, Sky Sports+). Albion have won three games on the road this season but they are winless in their last six on the road.

Boro are unbeaten in their last seven appearances in the league, but they have drawn each of their last three on home soil. Read on for my Middlesbrough vs West Brom prediction, accompanied by the latest match odds and team news.

Middlesbrough vs West Brom Odds

Middlesbrough have won three of their past seven league games on home soil but they are 19/20 to beat Albion. West Brom are 5/2 to secure a win on Mowbray's second debut but they are without an away win in over two months.

Three of Middlesbrough's last five appearances in the second tier have ended in a stalemate, while the Baggies have drawn three of their previous four clashes in the league. The draw is on offer at 23/10, which has an implied probability of 30.3%, so this offers good value for Tuesday.

In each of West Brom's last five appearances in the Championship, there have been goals at both ends. BTTS is marketed at 4/5 (55.6%) on Teesside.

Boro forward Emmanuel Latte Lath is the third-highest scorer in the division with 11 goals, and he is 9/2 to open the scoring at the Riverside.

Football Odds

Team News

The hosts have a few injuries to contend with heading into this midweek battle. Tommy Smith and Darragh Lenihan (both Achilles) remain out of action and have not played for the club since 2023. Boss Michael Carrick has stated that both could miss the rest of the season, which could force his hand in the transfer market in the next 10 days.

Goalkeeper Solomon Brynn and Alex Bangura are also sidelined for Boro, while midfielder Jonny Howson and Tommy Conway are unlikely to feature against the Baggies due to problems of their own. Carrick is likely going to partner Dan Barlaser with Hayden Hackney in the middle of the park, while front man Latte Lath should be aided by Finn Azaz, Ben Doak and Delano Burgzorg.

He could name a back four of Rav van den Berg, Dael Fry, George Edmundson and Neto Borges in front of shot-stopper Tom Glover, although he could also consider Luke Ayling and Luke Engels for rotation.

West Brom head to the north east without their main two striking options in Josh Maja and Daryl Dike. Maja was revealed to have suffered a leg injury last week and is set to miss several weeks. Dike has been out of action since last February because of an Achilles problem, and he is not expected to be back until next month.

This leaves Mowbray with Karlan Grant and Devante Cole as his options to play up top, but Grady Diangana has played alongside the former in the past couple of games.

Centre-back Semi Ajayi has suffered another injury setback regarding his leg, so he is ruled out for this clash, leaving Torbjorn Heggem to partner either Mason Holgate or Kyle Bartley, if the latter is able to return to the team after a slight issue kept him out of the past two matches in the league and FA Cup.

Academy graduate Tom Fellows and Mikey Johnston are expected to bring the attacking threat from out wide once again.

Draw @ 23/10

Boro have found wins hard to come by since the beginning of the festive period and they have been in a habit of drawing, with four of their last six matches in the second tier ending in a stalemate. Their last outing saw them lost 2-1 at Portsmouth, so they will try and come up with a response here.

The hosts have also flickered between free-scoring and being blunt in attack, which is something that needs addressing if they are to maintain their top-six push. They cannot just rely on Latte Lath's goals every week, especially as the Ivorian continues to be linked with a move away from Teesside.

I feel that their plan to get back to winning ways will continue after Tuesday because they are facing the draw specialists of the Championship. West Brom have drawn 14 of their 27 matches to date, amounting to 51 per cent, so there's a high chance we will see this particular trend continue.

Three of their last four have ended in a draw, two of which have come away from home. This is a tough first game for Mowbray to oversee, but I think he will have them set up well, and I fancy them to collect another important point on the road.

Emmanuel Latte Lath anytime goalscorer @ 6/4

As Boro's leading marksman, Latte Lath will be tasked with helping his team put more wins on the board, so they can regain momentum in the race for the top six. The striker heads into Tuesday in a good run of form with two goals in as many appearances against Portsmouth and Cardiff City.

He faces a tougher test here, though, as Albion have one of the best defensive records in the division, with just 22 goals conceded from their 27 matches. Latte Lath certainly has the individual quality to break down a stubborn defence, however, which is why he is being closely monitored by other clubs who may wish to sign him in the final days of the transfer window.

For now, though, Carrick insists that his top scorer will continue to play despite all the outside noise.

After the Portsmouth loss, the Boro boss said: “For sure [he’ll keep playing]. He’s a big part of the group and he played well today and he scored so I was really happy with Manu today. There’s no change in his situation.”

Another goal would help his stock rise, and I expect the front man to make it three in three on Tuesday night.

Offers

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