Middlesbrough travel to The Hawthorns to face West Bromwich Albion in a heavyweight clash as the race for promotion to the Premier League intensifies.
The visitors come into the game as favourites after winning nine of their last 10 Championship games, and have thrived since the appointment of former Manchester United midfielder, Michael Carrick.
The hosts have had their own experience of the famous 'new manager bounce', with the arrival of Spanish manager Carlos Corberan resurrecting Albion's season following the dismissal of Steve Bruce.
The Baggies won nine of their first ten games under Corberan, who has already become a fans favourite in B71. When appointed, West Brom were rock bottom of the Championship and their objectives for the season looked to be trying to stay up, as internal issues regarding finances and ownership circulated; leaving fans unhappy.
The bounce has hit a wall in recent weeks though, with Albion winning one of their last six games in all competitions, with performances drawing similarities to those seen under the tenure of Steve Bruce.
A disappointing first-half display in their last game against Watford on Monday ultimately costed them, who have slipped to tenth place.
Boro on the other hand have remained consistent, and are still basking in the same rich vein of form found since Carrick's arrival at The Riverside Stadium.
In their last outing, the Reds tore apart Queens Park Rangers to claim their fifth win in a row. Chuba Akpom bagged a brace and continued his scintillating form this season as he leads the race for the Golden Boot.
Carrick's men have won their last three games 3-1, beating second placed Sheffield United 10 days ago.
The Blades were deemed to be already up by many, but Middlesbrough have put the pressure on and are now hot on the heels of United, who now only possess four more points than Boro.
An interesting battle on the field will be on the flanks as Albion's main man Jed Wallace will come up against two of the best full-backs in the league, in Ryan Giles and Tommy Smith.
The hosts' goalkeeper struggles have cost them in recent weeks, with David Button unable to fill the void left by the injured Alex Palmer, who has been key to the Throstles' success this season.
It will be a busy game for young Josh Griffiths in goal, as he faces a deadly frontline led by Aston Villa-loanee Cameron Archer. Archer found the back of the net at The Hawthorns last campaign whilst at Preston, and will be hopeful of impressing against a rival of his parent club.
The reverse fixture saw the spoils shared as the two teams played out a 1-1 draw at the Riverside in the opening weekend of the 2022/23 season. John Swift and Isaiah Jones grabbed the goals in the Sun.
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Team news
West Bromwich Albion
Alex Palmer will be out for a number of weeks as he continues his recovery from injury.
Kean Bryan and Matt Phillips have been ruled out for the season. The latter was crucial to Albion's resurgence under Corberan and has been missed in the middle.
Kyle Bartley's recovery date was moved further back and will miss the weekend's tie.
Jayson Molumby may make the starting 11 in place for Nathaniel Chalobah after an impressive cameo from the bench saw the Irishman claim two assists as Albion narrowly lost 3-2.
Middlesbrough
Alex Mowatt will not be in the squad as he is ineligible to face his parent club. The midfielder has been sparsely used since Carrick took the reigns though.
Matt Clarke will miss his return to The Hawthorns after a back injury has troubled him throughout the campiagn after making the switch to Middlesbrough after West Brom declared interest in the centre-back.
Darnell Fisher could return on Saturday after a long time on the sideline.
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Likely lineups
West Bromwich Albion: (4-2-3-1) Griffiths, Townsend, O'Shea, Pieters, Furlong, Yokuslu, Molumby, Swift, Wallace, Diangana, Thomas-Asante.
Middlesbrough: (4-2-3-1) Steffen, Smith, McNair, Lenihan, Giles, Barlaser, Hackney, Ramsey, Akpom, McGree, Archer.
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Key players
Jed Wallace (West Bromwich Albion)
The wing-wizard has lit up The Hawthorns since arriving from Millwall on a free transfer in the summer.
Praised for his hard-working attitude and consistency even if results are not going the way of his side, Wallace is the first name on the teamsheet.
Since Marc Albrighton left the East Midlands for the West, the Englishman has been tried out in the middle to allocate the right wing spot for the Leicester-loanee.
It was successful at Vicarage Road, where Wallace scored Albion's second goal and earned the WhoScored Man of the Match award.
The 28-year-old has scored five goals so far this season, and has set up his teammates on six occasions, playing an integral part to the successes of this season as West Brom fight for a play-off spot.
Chuba Akpom: (Middlesbrough)
Akpom plays as an attacking midfielder for Boro and has played behind Archer, but still leads the race for the coveted Golden Boot award.
The 27-year-old has 19 goals so far this season and has been on fire for Michael Carrick's side. He has been clinical in front of goal, and terrorised opposition backlines this campaign as he spearheads the Boro automatic promotion push.
Akpom has linked up well with the squad, and has been helped by teammate Daniel Barlaser, who tops the assist charts with eight.
West Brom's defence has looked shaky and confidence seems to have dropped since Alex Palmer sustained an injury in training. The stripes cannot afford to give Akpom even a half-chance, as he will certainly punish them.
In his last appearance, the attacker completed a brace and will be optimistic ahead of the weekend's fixture.
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Match details
Where is the game being played?
This EFL Championship clash will be hosted by West Bromwich Albion, at The Hawthorns on Saturday 25th February 2023.
What time is kick-off?
The match will kick-off at 15:00 GMT on Saturday, February 25.
How can I watch?
The tie will not be shown live on television due to it kicking off at 15:00 on a Saturday.
Fans can watch it by purchasing a game pass via ‘iFollow’ for £10.
Live commentary is available on both the West Bromwich Albion and Middlesbrough official apps.
Both clubs will also be providing live updates on their social media pages.
