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Middlesbrough will host Sunderland at the Riverside on Sunday in another round of the 2023-24 EFL Championship campaign.
The home side have had mixed results in the league this season but remain hopeful of securing playoff football at the end of the campaign. They were held to a 1-1 draw by last-placed Rotherham United in their last match, finding themselves a goal down at the hour-mark before Marcus Forss scored a late leveler for Boro.
Middlesbrough have picked up 40 points from 28 games this season and sit 11th in the league standings. They are three points behind their weekend opponents in the Championship table and will draw level with a win on Sunday.
Sunderland have struggled for results of late as their slow start to life under new boss Michael Beale continues. However, they returned to winning ways last weekend with a 3-1 victory over Stoke City, with three different players getting on the scoresheet including Chelsea loanee Mason Burstow who scored his first-ever goal for the club.
Middlesbrough vs Sunderland Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- There have been 152 meetings between Middlesbrough and Sunderland. The hosts have won 52 of those games while the visitors have won 10 more. There have been 38 draws between the two teams.
- The hosts have lost just one of their last nine games in this fixture.
- The visitors are without a clean sheet in their last four games across all competitions.
- The Black Cats have conceded 32 goals in the Championship this season, the fewest of any team outside the promotion playoff spots.
- Exactly half of the Boro's 40 points this season have come on home turf.
- Only four of Sunderland's 13 league wins this season have come on foreign grounds.
Middlesbrough vs Sunderland Prediction
Middlesbrough's latest result ended a three-game unbeaten streak and they will be looking to bounce back here. They have, however, won just two of their last seven games at Riverside and could struggle this weekend.
Similarly, Sunderland saw their latest result end a three-game losing streak and will be looking to kick on from that when they play on Sunday. They have won just once on the road since last October and could lose this one.
Prediction: Middlesbrough 1-0 Sunderland
Middlesbrough vs Sunderland Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Result: Middlesbrough to win
Tip 2 - Goals - Over/under 2.5 - Under 2.5 goals (Five of the last seven matches between the two teams have produced fewer than 2.5 goals)
Tip 3 - Both teams to score: NO (Both sides have found the back of the net in just one of their last seven matchups)
