/ Richard / 20 March 2012 / Leave a Comment 
West Ham have won just one of their last five league fixtures
"In eight clashes with the top five, Boro have lost five and taken a total of just five points."
Four successive draws at Upton Park has seen West Ham lose ground at the top but they will finally put it right in front of the Sky cameras this evening...
West Ham v Middlesbrough, Tuesday 19:45, Sky Sports 2, Match odds: West Ham [1.79], Middlesbrough [5.3], The Draw [3.85]
For West Ham, nothing but automatic promotion will do, and though the Hammers have sat in the top two for much of the season, Reading's charge now sees Sam Allardyce's side three points off second spot.
If a draw with ten men against Southampton was creditable, subsequent home stalemates with Crystal Palace, Watford and Doncaster were anything but. And with only ten games to play, it's now or never for Sam Allardyce's side. A last-gasp equaliser at Leeds might have felt like a win, but no longer will a solitary point suffice.
Not that it will be at all straightforward against a Middlesbrough side who have already won nine league contests on their travels this season. Boro currently sit sixth in the Championship and are desperately trying to shake off the respective challenges of Hull, Cardiff and Leeds, who are each a point behind them.
Their record however against the sides above them suggests they're in for a disappointing night in east London. In eight clashes with the top five, Boro have lost five and taken a total of just five points. And to make matters worse, they have lost each of their last seven league fixtures at Upton Park, scoring just twice in the process. Not since 2000 have Boro claimed victory there.
Boro's last seven league games on their travels have each seen over 2.5 goals, five of which contained four or more. Mowbray's men have conceded three in half of their previous six Championship matches away from home. And while there have been exactly two goals in West Ham's last four clashes, three of West Ham's last four victories contained three or more goals.
Middlesbrough are yet to score away from home against any of the sides currently in the top six. They suffered comprehensive 3-0 defeats at Southampton, Blackpool and most recently Birmingham, and played out a goalless draw at Reading. They have now failed to score in three of their previous five league encounters, including both of the last two. West Ham meanwhile have conceded just three goals in their last five and won 2-0 at the Riverside earlier in the campaign. The Hammers are [2.9] to win to nil.
Best Bet: West Ham to win @ [1.79]
Other Recommended Bet: Over 2.5 goals @ [2.04]
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