Michael Carrick shares new West Brom promotion verdict ahead of Middlesbrough clash
Michael Carrick expects West Brom to be right up there in the Championship this season.
The Middlesbrough boss will take his side to West Brom on Tuesday [1 October] looking to bridge the five-point gap to the league leaders with his first win at The Hawthorns.
Carlos Corberan will be eager to return to winning ways against Boro after his side lost their unbeaten start to the season in the 3-2 loss to Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough on Saturday [28 September].
Carrick admitted to Teeside Live [1 October] that he expects the Baggies to challenge for promotion this season despite the setback on the weekend.
He said: “If you look at them, they have a really strong team, physically, experience-wise, they have good quality.
“They’re a force in this league and I think they’ll be up there come the end of the season. This league throws up results from week to week but I think come the end of the season they’ll definitely be up there.”
West Brom can prove promotion credentials against Middlesbrough
Last term, Middlesbrough finished just six points adrift of fifth-placed West Brom and only four points behind Norwich City in the final play-off spot.
With Norwich taking on Leeds United, the results from the two fixtures could provide a clearer picture of which sides will challenge at the top of the Championship table at the end of the season.
However, the second tier of England is as unpredictable as it is entertaining and, while it is too soon to be thinking about six-pointers, Albion would certainly lay down a statement of intent with a strong performance and three points against Middlesbrough.
The consensus is West Brom should qualify for a play-off spot at the very least, however, Corberan should use the pain from the semi-final defeat to Southampton last season to spurn his side towards automatic promotion.
Josh Maja is the leading goal scorer with seven goals in as many outings and the defensive record speaks for itself, with only two goals conceded in six matches before the loss against Sheffield Wednesday.
The Baggies are the side the rest of the Championship is keeping one eye on, and those concerns will grow with a convincing victory against Middlesbrough under the lights at The Hawthorns.
In other West Brom news, Carlos Corberan must promote U21s star Harry Whitwell for the Baggies.
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