With neither team being in great form, they will both be eager to use this game as the catalyst for greater things to come. While Preston still have the win at Bournemouth fresh in their memory, we expect Boro to edge this contest by the odd goal in three.
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Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Middlesbrough win with a probability of 48.8%. A draw had a probability of 27.3% and a win for Preston North End had a probability of 23.86%.
The most likely scoreline for a Middlesbrough win was 1-0 with a probability of 14.27%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (9.95%) and 2-1 (8.81%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (12.63%), while for a Preston North End win it was 0-1 (9.06%). The actual scoreline of 1-2 was predicted with a 5.6% likelihood.