Kick-off: 1730, 30/07/2022
Stadium: Riverside Stadium
TV: Sky Sports
Two teams tipped for promotion from the Championship kick off their campaign against each other when Middlesbrough face West Brom on Saturday night.
Chris Wilder’s Boro just missed out on the play-offs last term, while Steve Bruce’s Baggies struggled in their quest for an immediate return to the Premier League.
The visitors should be too strong and an away win at 3.20 is our first Middlesbrough vs West Brom prediction.
Middlesbrough Odds
Wilder took over at the Riverside in November, replacing Neil Warnock, and almost guided Boro into the top six.
The former Sheffield United boss’ side were well in the hunt but two wins from their last eight games ended their hopes.
Boro lost Djed Spence to Tottenham this summer, albeit having spent last season on loan at Nottingham Forest, but have brought in Wolves midfielder Ryan Giles, defender Darragh Lenihan from Blackburn and goalkeepers Liam Roberts and Zack Steffen from Northampton and Manchester City respectively.
Their business seems to be slow so far with Wilder seemingly keen to add to his forward line.
Boro were strong at home under Wilder, either side of a slight wobble in April, and beat West Brom 2-1 in February.
Boro scored first in 16 of their 23 home games last season, including against the Baggies.
The hosts to break the deadlock again is 1.82 in the Middlesbrough vs West Brom odds.
West Brom’s Odds
On paper, West Brom looked well set to challenge for an immediate return to top-flight football.
However, they endured a dismal beginning under Valerien Ismael and, despite a poor start to his tenure, Bruce could only lift them to 10th.
They did end the season with four wins from seven games to instil confidence ahead of the new term and have added some Championship experience this summer.
Losing England goalkeeper Sam Johnstone on a free transfer was a huge blow, but Jed Wallace came in from Millwall and John Swift arrived from Reading, as well as Jayson Molumby and Okay Yokuslu.
Dara O’Shea, Kyle Bartley, Jake Livermore, Matt Phillips, Grady Diangana, Alex Mowatt, Callum Robinson, Karlan Grant and Daryl Dike are still on the books, suggesting the Baggies will be in the automatic promotion mix.
The Baggies to come from behind and score last is 2.25 to complete our Middlesbrough vs West Brom betting tips.
Additional stats
Head-to-head: Middlesbrough 2-1 West Brom, West Brom 1-1 Middlesbrough, West Brom 0-2 Middlesbrough, Middlesbrough 0-1 West Brom, West Brom 2-3 Middlesbrough, Middlesbrough 1-0 West Brom.
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