The Championship returns this weekend and on Saturday afternoon the current league leaders West Brom will head to Middlesbrough hoping to keep their place at the top. The Baggies have played very well so far, and actually they have only lost one of their 11 games so far this season. They lost out in the playoffs last season and have done well to bounce back, another bid for promotion looks likely once more.

Things couldn’t be more different for Middlesbrough though. They are not quite in the bottom three, although are only two points ahead of it. They have won just two games out of their first 11, and come here without a win in their last four.

For a team that had hopes of being in the top half, the start has simply not been good enough for Middlesbrough. They have to find a way to get points on the board and somehow raise confidence in the team, which is very low. Taking three points off the team who head into the weekend as the league leaders would certainly go a long way to doing that, although of course that is easier said than done.

West Brom have been playing very well and look to have completely forgot their promotion failure last season, which can often make it tough for teams at the start of a new campaign. Goal scoring has been coming easy for them, and they have scored 14 goals in their last six games, including two wins where they scored four goals in the game.

Middlesbrough vs West Brom Betting Tips

A big game at both ends of the table up at The Riverside on Saturday afternoon. Middlesbrough are desperate for points and confidence, and a win against the league leaders would certainly give them both of those, although that is a huge task and one I don’t think they are capable of doing.

West Brom have been playing very well so far, they have been beaten just one. In recent games, goal scoring has come easy for them and they go up against a defensively suspect Boro back line here. I fancy West Brom to come back and win on their return to action and I make them the bet of the weekend in the English second tier.

For further tips this weekend, be sure to head over to our football betting tips page to see what we fancy!

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