Middlesbrough will be looking to bounce back from their defeat last time out when they host Blackburn Rovers in the Championship on Saturday with kickoff at 5 pm.
After a disappointing start to the campaign, Middlesbrough sacked manager Chris Wilder last week.
However, the club’s decision surprised many people, especially after the former Sheffield United boss sparked a huge upturn in form last season after he was appointed in November 2021.
Indeed, at one point, the Teesiders looked like gatecrashing the playoff places – helped by winning eight successive league games at the Riverside Stadium between December and March – but a lack of firepower in attack ultimately contributed to them falling short.
Blackburn Rovers seemed to be struggling after replacing Tony Mowbray with Jon Dahl Tomasson as their manager at the start of the season, especially given that several experienced players left the club during the summer.
However, Rovers made a blistering start to life under the former Denmark international, winning their first three games of the season to sit top of the Championship in early September.
Things have inevitably plateaued since, with Tomasson’s side only taking 12 points from their last 11 matches to fall outside of the top six after a 1-0 defeat to Wigan Athletic on Tuesday.
Middlesbrough vs Blackburn Head to Head
Both sides have 25 games against each other, with the hosts taking three wins while the visitors with eleven wins. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Millwall 2-0 Middlesbrough
- Middlesbrough 1-0 Birmingham
- Coventry 1-0 Middlesbrough
- Middlesbrough 0-0 Rotherham
Away
- Wigan 1-0 Blackburn
- Blackburn 3-0 Rotherham
- Cardiff 1-0 Blackburn
- Blackburn 2-1 Millwall
Middlesbrough Team News
Middlesbrough could be without goalkeeper Zack Steffen, who is on loan from Manchester City for the season, due to his ongoing knee issue flaring up again. If so, Liam Roberts will likely be given the nod ahead of Luke Daniels between the posts, but Steffen will be given every opportunity to prove his fitness, given his importance.
Blackburn Team News
George Hirst will not be available for Blackburn due to injury; otherwise, they have a full squad to select from. Sam Gallagher should return to the starting lineup in place of Hirst, and Callum Brittain could be given a start at right wing-back to refresh the lineup.
Prediction and Odds
Despite Blackburn’s superior position in the table, we expect a close affair between these two teams.
- Home Win
- Goals Under 3.5
- No Score: Away
