Middlesbrough begins life without manager Chris Wilder at the Riverside Stadium on Wednesday night when they host Birmingham City with kickoff at 9:45 pm.
The Middlesbrough Football Club have had a disappointing start to the season, picking up just 10 points from their opening 11 games and occupying a place in the relegation zone on goal difference.
However, there was some relief for Boro when they beat Sunderland 1-0 in September, who are their biggest rivals, as it looked like it could spur them on to move up the table.
But since then, form has dipped, and after two defeats in their last three games and failing to score in the latest two, those things hit an all-time low when Boro lost their match against Coventry City.
Birmingham has begun to turn their season around after an unsuccessful start, moving to 15th place in the Championship.
The Blues began their rise up the table with consecutive away wins at Preston North End and a struggling West Bromwich Albion. This is before drawing with Coventry City and most recently getting what can be considered a very good point away at league leaders Sheffield United courtesy of Troy Deeney’s first goal.
The team has nine league goals this season, with only three other Championship clubs having a worse goal return.
Middlesbrough vs Birmingham City Head to Head
Both sides have 24 games against each other, with hosts taking 12 wins while visitors with seven wins. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Coventry 1-0 Middlesbrough
- Middlesbrough 0-0 Rotherham
- Middlesbrough 2-3 Cardiff
- Middlesbrough 1-0 Sunderland
Away
- Sheffield 1-1 Birmingham
- Birmingham 0-0 Coventry
- West Brom 2-3 Birmingham
- Preston 0-1 Birmingham
Middlesbrough Team News
Due to their recent struggles in front of goal, Middlesbrough will be bolstered by the return of Chuba Akpom to full fitness. The striker is getting some minutes under his belt against Coventry and is thought to be on the verge of returning to the starting lineup.
Birmingham City Team News
Birmingham’s squad is likely to be depleted for tomorrow’s match against Middlesbrough, with forward Nico Gordon and defender Harlee Dean still recovering from leg injuries. After forward Troy Deeney scored his first goal of the season against Sheffield United, he is expected to start next to top scorer Scott Hogan in the attack.
Prediction and Odds
Middlesbrough has had a difficult start to the season, but they have earned some creditable home wins against Sunderland and Swansea.
- Draw
- Double Chance
- Goals Over 1.5
