Middlesbrough vs Sunderland Prediction And Betting Tips

Middlesbrough host Sunderland at the Riverside Stadium in the early Championship kick-off this Sunday. Both sides sit in the tight Championship mid-table, looking for three points to close in on the Play-offs.

• Sunderland to win @ 3/1 on Paddy Power
• Only one team to score @ 11/10 on Sky Bet
• Over 1.5 goals @ 2/9 on Paddy Power

These odds are correct at the time of publication, they are subject to change.

This Sunday sees Middlesbrough and Sunderland in pursuit of an important three points. After a busy FA Cup weekend, both teams will have their sights set on reeling in those around them and getting as close as possible to the final Play-off place.

Middlesbrough currently sit 11th in the Championship after 28 games. Boro have 12 wins, four draws and 12 losses, leaving them on 40 points, equal with Watford and three points from Coventry in the last Play-off spot.

Boro have been a big threat in front of goal this season, scoring 42 goals in 28 games, giving them an average of 1.5 goals a game. However, Middlesbrough are somewhat struggling at the other end of the pitch. Boro have conceded 41 goals and have kept just six clean sheets, ranking their defence 15th in the Championship.

Sunderland, on the other hand, currently sit seventh in the Championship. In 29 games, The Black Cats have 13 wins, four draws and 12 losses which leaves them on 43 points, equal with Coventry and just two points from fifth-place West Brom.

The Black Cats have faltered a little in front of goal so far this season, only scoring 37 goals, despite their top goalscorer Jack Clarke being the fourth-highest scorer this season. However, Sunderland have shined in defence. The Black Cats have only conceded 32 goals in 29 games and have kept eight clean sheets.

Middlesbrough and Sunderland have met 152 times in their histories, with the first meeting coming all the way back in 1887. The Black Cats have the better record in the fixture with 62 wins in comparison to Boro’s 52 wins, with the other 38 games ending in a draw.

The fixture in the last five games has become a game that doesn’t see both teams scoring very often. In fact, only one game in the last five has seen both teams score, the 3 - 3 draw back in 2018.

Michael Carrick has Isaiah Jones, Alex Bangura, Emmanuel Latte Lath, Tom Smith and Darragh Lenihan all unavailable, with the latter two out for the rest of the season. Sam Silvera, Riley McGree and Seny Dieng are also away on international duty.

Michael Beale has Patrick Roberts, Bradley Dack, Dennis Cirkin and Corry Evans all unavailable. Niall Huggins is also out for the rest of the season for Sunderland after surgery on his knee.

In their last five games in all competitions, Middlesbrough have two wins, one draw and two losses.

In the FA Cup Third Round, Middlesbrough hosted Premier League Aston Villa. Matty Cash scored the only goal of the game in the 87th minute to give Villa the 1 - 0 win with Boro only managing 38% of the possession and just one shot on target.

The first leg of the League Cup Semi-Final, Boro took on another Premier League side. Hayden Hackney grabbed a goal in the first half to give Middlesbrough the 1 - 0 lead. Despite Chelsea having 72% of the possession and 18 shots, Boro held on for the 1 - 0 win.

Back in the Championship, Middlesbrough travelled to Millwall. Joe Bryan opened the scoring for Millwall in the tenth minute but Lukas Engel got Boro level before the halftime whistle. Jones put Middlesbrough ahead and a 95th-minute goal from Marcu Forss secured the 3 - 1 win.

Cafu gave Rotherham the lead just before the 60-minute mark with just one of their two shots on target. Middlesbrough could only manage three shots on target themselves, but a goal from Forss in the 82nd minute grabbed a 1 - 1 draw.

The last time out for Middlesbrough was the second leg of the League Cup Semi-final. The trip to Stamford Bridge saw Morgan Rogers score late on, but an own goal from Jonny Howson, a brace from Cole Palmer and goals from Enzo Fernandez, Axel Disasi and Noni Madueke gave Chelsea the 6 - 1 win and a 6 - 2 aggregate win.

In their last five games in all competitions, Sunderland have two wins and three losses.

Sunderland hosted Preston in a game that saw only seven shots on target for the 90 minutes. However, with a goal from Alex Pritchard and a goal from Nazariy Rusyn in the first half, Sunderland grabbed a 2 - 0 win.

In the Third Round of the FA Cup, Sunderland took on Newcastle in the Tyne-Wear derby. An own goal from Daniel Ballard and a brace from Alexander Isak gave Newcastle the 3 - 0 win.

Clarke opened the scoring for Sunderland in the 26th minute, but Kayden Jackson equalised for Ipswich Town before halftime. Conor Chaplin then grabbed a goal in the 75th minute to secure the 2 - 1 win for Ipswich.

Despite having just two shots for the entire game, Hull grabbed a 1 - 0 win over Sunderland through a goal from Fabio Carvalho.

The last time out for Sunderland saw them take on Stoke. Mason Burstow opened the scoring for Sunderland just minutes before halftime. Abdollah Ba and Pierre Ekwah increased Sunderland’s lead and despite the late own goal from Jenson Seelt, Sunderland held on for the 3 - 1 win.

Both teams are in a bout of mixed form, but this weekend the win is likely to swing in Sunderland’s favour, therefore, we have predicted Middlesbrough 1-2 Sunderland.

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Middlesbrough vs Sunderland will be broadcasted on Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Main Event and can be followed via radio on BBC Five Live.

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