Friday’s EFL Championship matchup pits Middlesbrough against Burnley at Riverside. Under manager Michael Carrick, the home team has experienced a revival and is now vying for promotion playoffs. Last time out, they fell unexpectedly 4-2 to struggling Huddersfield Town, giving up four goals in the second half after leading by one goal at the break.
Burnley have partaken in a splendid association crusade up until this point and are through and through top picks for a programmed return to the English first class. In their most recent league game, they were held to a goalless draw by Sunderland because, despite having a lot of possession, they couldn’t come up with enough good chances to score. With 84 points from 38 games, the visitors are leading the Championship standings. When they play on Friday, they will want to get over their recent setbacks and start winning again.
Match Details
- Middlesbrough – Burnley
- Championship England
- Date – 07/04/2023
- Starting time – 19:00 UTC
- Venue: Riverside, Middlesbrough, England
Prediction
After losing their last four games, Middlesbrough will be looking to get back on track here. They will be excited about their chances ahead of Friday’s match because they have not lost a home league game since October of last year.
Despite losing just one of their last 20 games in all competitions, Burnley is currently on a streak of consecutive games without a victory. This season, they have performed admirably away from home, but they may have to settle for a draw here.
Prediction: Burnley vs. Middlesbrough: 1-1
Head-to-Head
- 68 meetings have taken place between Burnley and Middlesbrough. While the visitors have won 26 times, the hosts have won 23 of those games. The two teams have remained tied 19 times.
- After losing four of their previous five matches, the visitors have never lost in this fixture.
- This season, Boro have scored the third most points in the Championship on their own turf, putting them third overall.
- This season, Burnley has scored 36 league points on the road. Only Sheffield United (37 goals) has scored more goals.
- With 29 goals conceded, the Clarets have the best defensive record in the English second division this season.
- With 71 goals, Middlesbrough is the second-highest scoring team in the league this season, trailing only their weekend opponents (74).
Team news
Dael Fry, the center back, will try to replace Paddy McNair in the starting lineup, but Tommy Smith and Ryan Giles, the always-present fullbacks, will keep their spots.
Hayden Hackney and Jonny Howson are expected to start again in the middle of the field for Carrick’s midfield and attack, and Aston Villa loanees Aaron Ramsey and Cameron Archer are expected to continue in the final third alongside Forss and Akpom.
In contrast, Josh Brownhill and Taylor Harwood-Bellis returned to Burnley last week after recovering from injuries to play against Sunderland. The Clarets are anticipating that the duo will continue to play in the starting lineup at center back and center midfield, respectively.
Jay Rodriguez, who has been out of the league for the past ten games due to injury, has recently increased his recovery, but it is unknown whether he will play on Friday.
On loan from Swansea City, Michael Obafemi is still waiting for his first start under Kompany. On Friday, he will try to get in the first team at the expense of Ashley Barnes, who hasn’t scored in six games.
Lineup
Middlesbrough
- Steffen
- Smith, Fry, Lenihan, Giles
- Howson, Hackney
- Forss, Akpom, Ramsey
- Archer
Burnley
- Muric
- Roberts, Harwood-Bellis, Beyer, Maatsen
- Cullen, Brownhill
- Benson, Tella, Zaroury
- Obafemi
Betting Tips
Result: Goals: Draw, Over/Under 2.5, Under 2.5 (Seven of the teams’ last nine games have resulted in fewer than 2.5 goals) Both teams to score: Yes, as both teams have scored in three of the hosts’ last four matches.
Where to watch
Watch the match on fancode app