Middlesbrough and Sunderland square off in a Championship fixture on Sunday with both teams looking to boost their promotion playoff hopes. Boro have claimed some key results in recent times and should have the upper hand over Sunderland, who are struggling to find their best form lately.
Middlesbrough are coming off a 6-1 defeat at Chelsea in a Carabao semi-final second leg fixture. They proved to be no match for the Premier League side and had already conceded six goals before Morgan Rogers struck a consolation.
While it was a disappointing defeat, manager Michael Carrick will consider the difficulties of playing at the home of a topflight opposition. Middlesbrough had been on a three match unbeaten run prior to the trip to Stamford Bridge, claiming two wins in that run, including a 1-0 home win against Chelsea in the first leg.
Middlesbrough are also unbeaten in five of their last seven Championship matches, claiming four wins in that run. However, they have kept just one clean sheet in their last 10 league matches.
Sunderland travel to the Riverside Stadium off the back of a 3-1 victory over Stoke City in their previous Championship fixture. They raced to a three-goal lead through Mason Burstow, Abdoullah Ba and Pierre-Emmanuel Ekwah, and were able to hold on despite a late consolation from the visitors.
That was a vital win for Sunderland as it ended a run of three straight defeats across all competitions. Michael Beale’s men remain in the hunt for a promotion playoff place as the sit just one point off the top six.
Sunderland have also found things difficult on their recent travels and have picked up just one win from their last 10 away matches. The Black Cats suffered a 2-1 defeat at Ipswich Town in their previous fixture on the road.
How the bookies view it
Middlesbrough have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 21/20 by Unibet to claim the win. A victory for Sunderland is valued at 11/4 by bet365 while a draw is set at odds of 5/2 by Betfred.
Head to head
Sunderland have a 49-37 advantage with 27 draws from 113 previous matches against Middlesbrough. However, Boro are unbeaten in the last nine meetings, claiming seven wins in that run, including a 4-0 victory in the reverse fixture back in October.
Players to watch
Marcus Forss has caught the eye for Middlesbrough in recent weeks, with goals in three of his last four Championship matches. The forward was also on target in the reverse fixture and is priced at 9/4 by BetVictor to maintain his scoring run.
Jack Clarke remains the biggest attacking threat for Sunderland and will be looking to add to his 13 Championship goals. The forward has also found the net in the last three away matches and is priced at 3/1 with bet365 to get on the score sheet once again.
Anything else catch the eye?
Given the attacking quality in Sunderland and Middlesbrough, both teams could be backed to score at 8/13 with William Hill. The Black Cats saw over 3.5 goals in their previous fixture and could be set for a similar outcome at 11/5 with bet365, who is also offering odds of 17/20 for over 2.5 goals.
Middlesbrough scored in both halves in the reverse fixture and could be set for a repeat at 9/4 with bet365.
This England Championship match between Middlesbrough and Sunderland will be played on Feb 4, 2024 and kick off at 12:00. Check below for our tipsters best Middlesbrough vs Sunderland prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.