Two of the bigger names in the Championship, Middlesbrough and West Brom, take each other on this weekend, a big three points are at stake, especially for West Brom, who will want to maintain their place in the playoffs before Christmas.
Middlesbrough Form GuideI think what we are seeing from Middlesbrough right now is something like what I expected, even if it's a level below. The good news is they've managed to climb up the table from their disaster of a start, but they are still only 13th, which leaves them six points off the playoffs. A good few weeks and that can be turned around, but we are still waiting to see real consistency from them.
The good news is they won last weekend, beating Swansea 2-1 away from home. They won 3-0 away at League One Port Vale in the EFL Cup in midweek too. But before that, it was three defeats in a row for Boro, losing to Leeds, Ipswich and Hull. Three tough games, but if they are genuinely wanting to make the playoffs, they need to get something from those.
West Brom Form GuideWest Brom have been really impressive so far this season, and given the squad they have, you could argue they are slightly overachieving with what they have done so far. 5th in the league, they're in the playoffs, a long way off the automatic race, 16 points off Ipswich in 2nd, but three ahead of Sunderland, who are in 7th and outside of the playoffs trying to get in.
They could only manage a 1-1 draw at home to Stoke last weekend, a game they will see as a missed opportunity, but before that, they won 2-0 away at Rotherham to keep their good run going.
Match PredictionThis has the makings of being a very good game if Middlesbrough play well. But despite them being the away side here, I am going to go with the value and back a West Brom win. They're going well, are more consistent, and look a big price to take all three points.
