For our Middlesbrough vs. Reading prediction, we're going for a 2-0 win for the home side.
Middlesbrough continue their promotion push in the Championship as they welcome Reading to the Riverside Stadium this weekend.
Middlesbrough currently sit 3rd in the Championship with seventeen wins, six draws and eleven losses from thirty-four games this season.
Middlesbrough have been in inspired form sine Michael Carrick's arrival as manager, with the former Manchester United manager taking them from relegation contender to automatic promotion contender in just a matter of months.
They enter this game amidst a good run of form having won four of their last five matches in the league, but they do find themselves in unfamiliar territory coming into this game as they face the task of rebounding following a defeat after losing 2-0 away at West Bromwich Albion last time out.
Boro found themselves 2-0 down after just ten minutes and never really recovered, with the defeat brining an end to a five-match winning run.
Considering they won five games on the bounce after their last defeat you'd back them to do something similar here, and their home form is very encouraging having won their last six consecutive games on home soil.
Middlesbrough find themselves seven points off Sheffield United in 2nd and have a tough task trying to usurp them now following last week's results. Still, they'll be one of the favourites in the play-offs and they should get three points here.
Reading currently sit 14th in the Championship with thirteen wins, five draws and fifteen losses from thirty-three games this season.
The Royals have had a fairly mediocre campaign following an excellent start to the campaign and now look set to cruise to an unremarkable mid-table finish in the league.
They enter this game amidst an okay run of form having won two, drawn one and lost two of their last five matches in the league having also won two of their last three.
Their most recent game saw them cruise to a 3-1 win at home to relegation threatened Blackpool.
Their away record, though, is fairly abysmal having lost their last four road games on the bounce while winning just one of their last ten.
Reading beat Middlesbrough 1-0 when the two sides last met in the league back in August, but given how the form of these two sides have both done a full 180 it's highly unlikely we'll see a repeat result this time around, with Middlesbrough likely making immediate amends for their defeat last weekend.
Don’t forget to check out the rest of our previews, tips and offers for this weekend’s action.