For our Middlesbrough vs. Stoke prediction, we're going for a 3-1 win for the home side.
Middlesbrough continue their assault on the automatic promotion places as they face Stoke City on Tuesday night.
Middlesbrough currently sit 3rd in the Championship with nineteen wins, six draws and eleven losses from thirty-six games this season.
Boro have been electric over the past few months under Michael Carrick and have, remarkably, worked themselves into a position whereby finishing in the automatic promotion places is now a very realistic possibility.
Boro have eaten up the points gap between themselves and Sheffield United and enter this game having won four of their last five matches, the most recent of which wad a 3-1 win away at Swansea City.
The win at Swansea means Carrick's side have now scored thirteen goals in their last five matches, which is no surprise given the firepower they can boast in the likes of Chuba Akpom, Cameron Archer and Aaron Ramsey.
Their home form has been impervious of late too, with Boro winning each of their last five consecutive games on home soil by an aggregate scoreline of 14-1.
Boro sit just four points behind Sheffield United in 2nd with ten games remaining. While their fate is admittedly not solely in their own hands, they have to be confident given the trajectory of the two sides and it's likely they'll take another step towards a top two finish here.
Stoke City currently sit 14th in the Championship with thirteen wins, seven draws and sixteen losses from thirty-six games this season.
The Potters have have a fairly miserable campaign for the most part but after easing fears of relegation they've shown some very positive signs in recent weeks that their cans will be optimistic they can build upon going into next season.
Stoke enter this game having won three and lost two of their last five matches, the most recent of which was a 3-2 win over Blackburn Rovers.
The win over Blackburn marked Stoke's second consecutive impressive victory after beating Sunderland 5-1 the game prior, and the win over play-off chasing Blackburn was a deserved one with The Potters bossing the majority of the game.
They enter this game amidst a decent run of away form, too, having won each of their last two games on the road.
Stoke did draw 2-2 with Boro when the two sides last met in August, but they find themselves meeting The Teesiders at an unfortunate time with Michael Carrick's side in their pomp. Stoke could make this competitive but it's likely they leave empty handed.
Don’t forget to check out the rest of our previews, tips and offers for this weekend’s action.