West Bromwich Albion vs Middlesbrough Prediction: Middlesbrough are still not over playoff dissapointment last year

West Bromwich Albion will welcome Middlesbrough at The Hawthorns in Gameweek 4 of the English Championship. Middlesbrough are still not over playoff dissapointment last year. Who will come out on top after 90 minutes?

West Brom secured their first point away from home this season with a hard-fought draw against Leeds United at Elland Road. Striker Brandon Thomas-Asante scored an opportunistic goal to put the Baggies ahead, but Leeds United equalized in the second half through Luke Ayling. Carlos Corberan, in his first full season as manager, faces financial constraints as the club no longer receives parachute payments from the Premier League, making promotion more of a dream than a realistic goal this season. West Brom has proven to be a challenging team at their home ground, The Hawthorns, and started their home campaign with a 3-2 victory over Swansea City. With two more home fixtures before the first international break, West Brom aims to secure 10 points from five matches at the start of a crucial season for the club's future.

Palmer; Furlong, Ajayi, Pieters, Townsend; Yokuslu, Molumby, Phillips, Swift, Wallace; Thomas-Asante

Middlesbrough secured their first point of the current second-tier season in a 1-1 draw against Huddersfield Town last Saturday. Without Chuba Akpom, Emmanuel Latte Lath took his place in the Boro attack. They managed to equalize with a goal from midfielder Hayden Hackney in the second half. Compared to the other playoff losers from last season, none have had an impressive start to this campaign, but Middlesbrough has been the weakest, only earning one point from three matches so far. After their defeat against Coventry City in their previous away game, Michael Carrick's team is motivated to do better. Last season, Albion won 2-0 against Boro at The Hawthorns, but this time they won't have to worry about Daryl Dike, as he is currently injured.

Dieng; Van den Berg, Fry, Lenihan, Engel; Howson, Hackney, Forss, Rogers, Silvera; Lath

West Brom's performances away from home have shown weaknesses this season, but they now have two consecutive home games in the coming week, which presents a significant chance for them to establish a consistent form. Boro, on the other hand, have not displayed the same competitiveness as they did in their pursuit to overtake Sheffield United for automatic promotion last year. As a result, we predict that Boro will experience another defeat in their upcoming match in the Black Country. Expect under 2.5 goals in the game