Middlesbrough face Queens Park rangers in the EFL Championship this weekend as both sides search for a much-needed win.
Middlesbrough currently sit 22nd in the EFL Championship with one draw and four losses from their last four matches.
Boro's campaign started with a 0-1 defeat to Millwall followed by a 3-0 loss to Coventry City before a 1-1 draw against Huddersfield Town.
A resounding 4-2 loss away at West Bromwich Albion followed to complete what has been a miserable start to the season for Michael Carrick's side.
It was always going to be tough for Boro this season after losing top scorer Chuba Akpom alongside Cameron Archer, whose loan expired in the summer, but the start they've had has been extremely concerning.
They look a shadow of the side they were last season and the heaviest critics would argue they saw this coming at the back end of last season after Middlesbrough's form dipped dramatically.
They did at least beat League One side Bolton Wanderers 3-1 away from home in midweek in a result that Carrick and co will hope can kickstart their campaign, but they desperately need three points in the league to truly inject them with some confidence.
A home game against QPR is not one they can be losing even this early in the campaign.
Queens Park Rangers currently sit 19th in the EFL Championship with one win and three losses from their first four games of the season.
The Hoops began their season with a crushing 4-0 defeat to Watford before registering a 2-1 win away at Cardiff followed by successive defeats at the hands of Ipswich Town, 0-1, and Southampton, 2-1.
Many expected QPR to struggle this season and it looks exactly like that's how their season is going to play out with Gareth Ainsworth's side having already fallen to three defeats in four.
It can be argued that they've had a pretty tough run in terms of fixtures, bar the Cardiff game that they won, so things could certainly improve when they start to play more sides around their level.
They also displayed some encouraging signs in the loss at Southampton last time out in what was a tightly contested encounter that they lost by a narrow margin.
There are still a myriad of improvements that QPR need to make if they are to avoid being involved in an arduous relegation battle this season and many have questioned if they currently have the facilities to make those adjustments.
Only time will tell but for now they face another side in the midst of a notable struggle so it's a game they should be looking to take a result from.
For our Middlesbrough vs. QPR prediction, we're going for a 1-0 win for the home side.
Don’t forget to check out the rest of our previews, tips and offers for this weekend’s action.
