Hull v West Brom: Defences on top in Humberside

• BTTS has paid out in five of Hull's last 16

• Just 6/22 West Brom matches have seen BTTS

• BTTS No available at almost even-money

Hull fail to fire

Shot-shy Hull saw their winless run extend to four games as they were beaten at in-form Bristol City last weekend. A drab contest was settled from the penalty spot 20 minutes from time after the Tigers were penalties for handball by Cyrus Christie, a decision that irked City boss Liam Rosenior.

Benjamin Tetteh came off the bench to hit the post in the closing stages, but in truth, Hull offered little in attack, and but for some last-ditch defending in both halves, the game could have been settled long before that crucial opener.

Rosenior admitted, "It was well below par. I'll accept losing because that's part of football, but I can't accept that first half performance because we were very fortunate to come in at 0-0. We lost the game in the first half, not the second. It wasn't (a penalty) but to be honest, our performance didn't deserve any luck. We played with a lack of energy."

Hull were forced into changes after seeing Matt Ingram and Dimitrios Pelkas pick up injuries, adding to a growing treatment table. Karl Darlow was handed a debut in goal while Malcolm Ebiowei came in for a first start since joining on-loan from Crystal Palace. Aaron Connolly, Jean Michael Seri and Ryan Woods remain out, but Allahyar Sayyadmanesh could make the bench.

West Brom impress against Boro

West Brom returned to winning ways last weekend with one of their best results under Carlos Corberan as the Baggies comprehensively beat high-flying Middlesbrough 2-0 at The Hawthorns. Daryl Dike's early double proved decisive with the United States frontman converting two well-taken finishes inside the opening 10 minutes.

Corberan had called for improved defending and game management to cure a recent generous defensive nature. And his troops delivered in spades with Albion rock-solid at the back; Boro's only chance in the second half didn't arrive until in the 97th minute, but young goalkeeper Josh Griffiths stood firm to register a first clean sheet in Baggies colours.

Corberan made three changes to his team with Jayson Molumby back in midfield and Grady Diangana on the left with January recruits Nathaniel Chalobah and Marc Albrighton dropping to the bench, where they were joined by Brandon Thomas-Asante, who was replaced by Dike leading the line. And the Spaniard was pleased with his side's efforts.

He said, "Always it's important to score goals, but also as much it is about protecting your goal against the opponent. More than the game management, the mentality to face the game was the right one. From the beginning, the team was showing a lot of personality and desire and self-demanding to achieve the result we wanted. We did very well."

Albion favourites away

Hull have lost each of their last six league games against West Brom, conceding 16 goals in the process, including a 5-2 shellacking in the reverse encounter from August. The Tigers have been turned over in each of their past two home contests with the Albion, and have claimed a solitary success in five against the Baggies at the MKM Stadium lately (W1-D2-L2).

Hull 3.259/4 will be happy to return home, where the Tigers have been beaten just once under Liam Rosenior's tutorship (W2-D4-L1) in the Championship. City have kept three successive clean sheets at the MKM Stadium, although the hosts have failed to score themselves in three of their most recent four league fixtures across all venues.

West Brom 2.447/5 are six points shy of the play-off places with their recent road form proving problematic. Albion won four of their first five away Championship games under Carlos Corberan but have since lost their last three on the spin with the Spaniard demanding more consistency. However, the Baggies have W3-D2-L1 at bottom-half teams this term.

Oppose goals

Liam Rosenior has given Hull a much firmer footing since his appointment and that solid foundation has led to an increase in low-scoring contests. The Tigers have seen just five of their 16 league dates under the highly-rated coach feature Over 2.5 Goals 2.245/4 and one of their last seven outings has delivered Both Teams To Score 1.9310/11 pay-outs.

West Brom have largely followed a similar pattern under Carlos Corberan's leadership with only six of the Baggies past 22 Championship encounters providing BTTS profit, whilst just four of their 19 match-ups with sides in 10th and below have banked for Both Teams To Score backers, suggesting the 1.981/1 for BTTS 'No' is a value shout for Friday night.