West Bromwich Albion make the trip to the Riverside on Saturday to face Middlesbrough as one of just three Championship sides to have gathered maximum points from two games so far.
The Baggies have beaten Norwich City on the road and Burnley at The Hawthorns, while they went down narrowly in a 3-2 EFL Cup defeat at Premier League Newcastle United in midweek.
Middlesbrough had to come from behind to beat promoted Lincoln City here on the opening weekend of the Championship season and surrendered an early lead in last weekend's loss at Blackburn Rovers.
Middlesbrough v West Brom Tips Summary
Best Bet - Double Chance - Draw or West Brom @ 1/1
Alternative Bet - Over 2.5 goals @ 4/5
Bet Builder - Both teams to score, Will Lankshear anytime goalscorer, Isaac Price 1+ shots on target & Ousmane Diakite 2+ fouls @ 12/1
Middlesbrough v West Brom Prediction
Best Bet: Double Chance - Draw or West Brom @ 1/1
There was a degree of scepticism as Albion started out this season, but the Baggies have quickly altered the narrative with two wins from two games in the Championship.
They showed poise last week after an early own-goal setback to beat Burnley 3-1 and travel to Middlesbrough with optimism off the back of a strong showing at St James' Park on Wednesday in the EFL Cup, when Newcastle needed a late Harvey Barnes goal to win 3-2.
Boro boss Kim Hellberg lamented having "too many new players not fit enough with injuries and coming in late" after his side lost at Blackburn last weekend.
It was a familiar tale as the Teessiders controlled that game but were not clinical and then conceded twice in six minutes not long after half-time.
They manage possession well but can leak goals quite softly and had to rally to beat promoted Lincoln here a fortnight ago.
On the early-season evidence both of these sides have designs on the play-off race and Albion can at least remain unbeaten in the Championship for now.
Alternative Bet: Over 2.5 goals @ 4/5
The Baggies are bringing entertainment so far. Both teams have scored in all four of their league and cup games with an average of more than four goals per game.
Boro were 1-0 winners here against Wrexham in the EFL Cup in their curtain-raiser, but both teams have scored in all three of their games since.
Over 2.5 goals has landed in each of those three matches, including a 3-1 midweek cup win at Doncaster Rovers, and that trend can continue now.
Middlesbrough v West Brom Bet Builder Tip
Both teams to score
Will Lankshear anytime goalscorer
Isaac Price 1+ shots on target
Ousmane Diakite 2+ fouls
Pays 12/1
Goals have flowed wherever these teams have gone so far this season and both also hit the net in both league meetings last season. That trend can continue here.
Will Lankshear was Boro's big summer signing for what could eventually be a club-record fee. He's proving a good buy with four goals in four so far, including three in two Riverside appearances.
Albion midfielder Isaac Price has scored doubles in the games against Burnley and Newcastle over the last seven days and can register at least a shot on target now.
Completing the bet builder is Baggies midfielder Ousmane Diakite to make two or more fouls. He has committed eight in four games and has been booked in three of his last five competitive outings.
He's likely to be involved in plenty of duels in the middle of the field and can record another couple of fouls.
Learn more about how Bet Builders work in our Bet Builder guide.
Key Match Stats
Middlesbrough are on a five-game Championship winning streak against West Brom, outscoring the Baggies 9-4
Both teams have scored in three of the last six meetings, with West Brom blanked in the other three games
Middlesbrough led both meetings last season 2-0 before winning 2-1 here in September and 3-2 at The Hawthorns in January
Both teams have scored in three of Boro's four matches in league and cup; while both sides have netted in all four Albion games
Baggies midfielder Isaac Price has scored four times in the last week, hitting doubles against Burnley and Newcastle
Summer signing Will Lankshear has scored four in four for Boro, including all three goals the hosts have netted in two games at the Riverside
Read more football betting tips and predictions on site.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
