Middlesbrough are seeking a win to kick-start their Championship campaign as they host Sunderland in the Tees-Wear derby on Monday night.
Given the results so far this season, Sunderland may be considered the slight favourites here but Boro are likely to be fired up for the derby which could see both teams cancel each other out.
Having guided Sheffield United to promotion in the past, manager Chris Wilder was tipped to at least put Middlesbrough in the mix for the playoffs. However, with just one win from their opening seven Championship matches, Boro are currently in the bottom three.
Middlesbrough suffered a 2-1 defeat at Watford in their previous Championship despite taking an early lead through Rodrigo Muniz. However, the good news is that there is still enough time to turn their fortunes around as no team has really found consistency in the opening weeks of the season.
One positive for Middlesbrough is that they are still unbeaten at the Riverside Stadium with a win and two draws from three home matches. The most recent fixture in front of their fans was a 2-0 victory over Swansea with Riley McGree and Matt Crooks getting the goals.
There are few things better than enjoying a fine start to the season while also watching your bitter rivals stumble through their opening fixture. It may still be early days but Sunderland must be enjoying seeing Middlesbrough struggle while they are battling around the playoff places.
Sunderland have only suffered two defeats this season with both losses coming against the current top two. They have claimed three wins and two draws from the other five matches with two of their victories coming on the road.
The Black Cats have already had a managerial change with Tony Mowbray replacing Alex Neil. The new boss enjoyed a winning start to his tenure as Sunderland claimed a 3-0 victory over Rotherham United last time out with Ross Stewart netting a brace while Jack Clarke was also on target.
How the bookies view it
Middlesbrough have the upper hand among the bookies with a home win priced at 4/5 by William Hill. A victory for Sunderland is valued at 4/1 by SBK, who is also offering odds of 27/10 for a draw.
Head to head
Sunderland have a 48-35 advantage with 27 draws from 110 previous matches with Middlesbrough. The most recent meeting between both teams was a 3-3 draw in a Championship fixture back in 2018.
Players to watch
Striker Chuba Akpom remains sidelined with injury so Rodrigo Muniz will be the one to watch for Middlesbrough. The Brazilian forward was on target last time out at Watford and is priced at 21/10 by bet365 get on the score sheet on Monday.
Ross Stewart has been the standout player for Sunderland this season with five goals in seven appearances. The forward is coming off a brace in the previous fixture and is priced at 5/2 by bet365 to find the net on Monday.
Anything else catch the eye?
Middlesbrough and Sunderland produced a six-goal thriller in their last meeting and with neither team particularly convincing at the back, a similar outcome could be expected here. Over 3.5 goals is valued at 13/5 with BetVictor, over 2.5 goals is valued at 28/29 by SBK, who are also offering odds of 8/9 for a draw.
Both teams have shown a knack for early goals this season and could be backed to score in the first half at 4/1 with bet365.
This England Championship match between Middlesbrough and Sunderland will be played on Sep 5, 2022 and kick off at 20:00. 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.
