On Friday afternoon, Bournemouth will be looking to give their hopes of automatic promotion from the Championship a huge boost when they welcome Middlesbrough for a mouthwatering contest with kickoff at 5 pm.
Bournemouth has drawn one and lost one of their last two games, dropping points against West Bromwich Albion and Sheffield United at home.
The Cherries are in a strong position to secure a return to the Premier League. They sit second in the table, four points behind third-placed Huddersfield with two games in hand. Therefore, a victory on Friday would put them in a strong position heading into their final six matches.
Their home record is the fourth-best in the Championship this season, having collected 38 points from 19 matches. They will be welcoming a Middlesbrough side that has had difficulty performing away from home this season; Boro has picked up 24 points from 20 matches on their travels.
Meanwhile, Middlesbrough enters this contest having lost their last two home matches, 1-0 to Fulham and Hull City. They have now lost three of their last four matches in all competitions.
Chris Wilder’s side remains very much in the playoff mix at this stage of the campaign, though, sitting eighth in the table, just three points behind sixth-placed Sheffield United with one game in hand.
Bournemouth vs. Middlesbrough Head to Head
Both sides have ten games against each other, with hosts taking four wins while the visitors with two wins. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Sheffield United 0-0 Bournemouth
- West Brom 2-0 Bournemouth
- Bournemouth 3-2 Bristol City
- Huddersfield Town 0-3 Bournemouth
- Bournemouth 1-1 Reading
Away
- Middlesbrough 0-1 Hull City
- Middlesbrough 0-1 Fulham
- Peterborough 0-4 Middlesbrough
- Middlesbrough 0-2 Chelsea
- Birmingham City 0-2 Middlesbrough
Bournemouth Team News
Hosts will again be without Kieffer Moore, Junior Stanislas, and David Brooks for this match, while Jordan Zemura is out with the hamstring injury he picked up on Saturday. Zemura’s absence could mean Robbie Brady comes into the starting eleven, while there could be a change in the final third, with Jaidon Anthony potentially replacing Siriki Dembele.
Middlesbrough Team News
As for Middlesbrough, defender Dael Fry will be out of the match due to injury, so defender Sol Bamba will probably start in midfield.
Prediction and Odds
A big match between two sides would be a tight contest, and we expect the Cherries to edge it.
- Bournemouth Win
- Goals Under 2.5
- No Score: Away
