MICHAEL CARRICK expects West Brom to adopt a “front-foot approach” when they host Middlesbrough at the Hawthorns this afternoon.

Having thrust themselves right back into the heart of the promotion battle with a fine run at the start of the year, the Baggies have slipped back to tenth in the table after a run of three league games without a victory.

Carlos Corberan’s side were beaten at Watford on Monday night, leaving them 12 points behind Boro in the table, but while the Teessiders head to the Hawthorns in a buoyant mood after five wins in a row, Carrick does not expect his opposite number to be changing his attack-minded tactics.

“They’re a really challenging opponent because they’re a team full of ability and are well organised,” said the Boro boss. “They had a similar run to ourselves and so I would imagine they gained a lot of confidence and momentum from that.

“I know they might have had a mixed result or two over the last week or so, but I don’t think that will affect them too much. You can see the quality they have in the squad, and we’ve watched them and can see how well-organised they are.

“They try to get onto the front foot and are very good at it. We expect that with them being at home, but we look forward to that challenge.

“This league is almost irrelevant from week to week in terms of where teams are when you play them because it’s such a challenging league whether you’re playing top or bottom. They’re a good group and we’ll be expecting the best version of them.”

Boro’s players will have the backing of a 2,000-strong sold-out away end, with Carrick delighted with the level of support his side have had on the road.

“We’re taking over 2,000 down there again, our away support has been fantastic,” he said.