Middlesbrough host Sunderland in the Championship on Monday evening, as they square off in the Tees-Wear derby at the Riverside Stadium.
Heading into the weekend's action, Sunderland sit fourth in the standings, while Middlesbrough are seventh after Blackburn Rovers climbed above them into the playoff zone following their victory over Preston North End on Friday night.
Match preview
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Despite only three places separating the two sides in the table, the visitors are 11 points ahead of Boro and are chasing automatic promotion to the Premier League.
This weekend, Michael Carrick's side will be looking to reduce the gap between the two teams, as they aim to maintain their own promotion bid.
Having ended 2024 on a four-match unbeaten run in the league, the hosts have not been as fortunate since the turn of the year, with three defeats in six matches in all competitions in 2025.
Middlesbrough fell to a 2-1 defeat last time out away at Preston, but they did win in their last home fixture, a 2-0 triumph over West Bromwich Albion four days earlier.
That victory was their first win at the Riverside Stadium in over five weeks, as they had failed to win at home in their previous four matches.
With local pride at stake on Monday evening, the hosts will be hoping to improve on their already impressive goalscoring record in the Championship this season, as Carrick's side are currently the third-highest scoring team in the division with 47 goals – a record currently only bettered by Leeds United and Norwich City.
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However, scoring goals against Sunderland has not been an easy task for many sides this season, as the Black Cats have the fourth-strongest defence in the league, having conceded just 24 times in 29 matches.
Like their hosts, the Black Cats also have a strong attack, with Sunderland netting 42 times in the league this season, only five goals behind Middlesbrough.
The visitors are fourth for good reason and come into this fixture in good form, having lost just once in their last 11 league outings.
Sunderland have exceptional records both home and away this season, as they currently have the second-best home record and third-best away record in the division.
Despite having one of the better away records in the Championship, Sunderland have won just two of their last nine league matches on the road.
However, one of those victories did come in their last away match, as Eliezer Mayenda struck the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win at Derby County.
Regis Le Bris and his team will therefore be looking to build some momentum on their travels once again to help maintain their promotion push.
A win would help secure a second win of the season against Middlesbrough for the visitors, with Sunderland winning the reverse fixture 1-0 back in September courtesy of a goal from Chris Rigg.
Team News
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The hosts have several players out of this fixture due to injury, with Emmanuel Latte Lath (muscle) set to miss this game, as he reportedly closes in on a switch to Atlanta United.
Elsewhere, Riley McGree (muscle), Anfernee Dijksteel (muscle), Jonathan Howson (calf), Tommy Conway (hamstring) are all out until at least next month.
Other absentees for Middlesbrough include Darragh Lenihan (ankle), Tom Smith (Achilles) and Alex Bangura (Achilles).
Injuries to Solomon Brynn (shoulder) and Seny Dieng (Achilles) have left Boro short of options in goal, therefore loanee Mark Travers is expected to make his debut in goal following his arrival from Bournemouth earlier in the week.
Meanwhile, the visitors also have a number of players out for this contest, with Aji Alese and Alan Browne both recovering from broken legs.
Elsewhere, Tom Watson (knee), Niall Huggins (knee) and Romaine Mundle (hamstring) also remain out for the visitors.
Middlesbrough possible starting lineup:
Travers; Giles, van den Berg, Fry, Ayling; Hackney, Morris, Doak, Azaz; Whittaker, Forss
Sunderland possible starting lineup:
Patterson; Cirkin, O'Nien, Mepham, Hume; Le Fee, Neil, Bellingham, Rigg; Mayenda, Isidor
We say: Middlesbrough 1-1 Sunderland
Local derbies are often tight affairs, and with both of these teams dreaming of the Premier League, we think they will share the spoils here.
Sunderland have performed well on their travels this year, but that away form has fallen off a little in more recent times; so a draw against another promotion contender is a strong possibility on Monday night.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Tom Humphrey
