Middlesbrough – Barnsley

No more than three goals will be seen by fans at Riverside Stadium

The first round of the English League Cup at the legendary Riverside Stadium will see clubs that played in the same division last season. However, Barnsley, after finishing fifth in the Championship in the 2020/2021 season, managed to become the last club in England's second-best division in May this year. Middlesbrough fans also experienced their disappointment. Their club finished seventh in the league, just five points behind last-placed Luton Town in the play-offs. Barnsley will be in a "working" mood in the upcoming game. Having been relegated, the Reds lost their opening game in League One, failing to prove themselves at Plymouth (0-1). But they put their heads together in the second leg as they beat Cheltenham 1-0 at home. The Reds have had mixed success in the English League Cup in recent years. Last season, they dropped out after a penalty shoot-out at the hands of Bolton, while the season before last season, before losing to Chelsea in the 1/16 finals, they got thrashed by the scorelines over Nottingham Forest and... Middlesbrough. It's fair to say that Barnsley's starting line-up for the game against Cheltenham featured about half of the players who played for other clubs last season. The Boro players are unlikely to be haunted by the memory of that cup defeat to their upcoming opponents before the match. Most likely, the home side will take to the pitch in their usual frame of mind. Middlesbrough's role as favourites is undeniable. Aside from a higher class, the club has not faced stressful staffing situations in the off-season, as it did at Barnsley. Middlesbrough started the new league season with a 1-1 draw against West Bromwich before losing 2-3 to KPR. And in Saturday's game against the London side, Boro showed their mettle, scoring two goals after conceding three in the first half. In the last couple of years, the Riverside rivals have steadily exchanged victories. Even in February this year, the diving Barnsley managed to win at their arena. However, conditions have changed dramatically in the last two months. Middlesbrough are now the clear favourites, while Barnsley are the underdogs who can only win with the most reliable defensive play possible. We're betting that the pre-match formation will result in a subdued performance from their opponents.