Middlesbrough – Burnley

Third team in the championship will be closer to victory in a home meeting with the leader

In the centrepiece of the next round of the Championship, the third team will take on the leaders. There was a change at the end of October last year that had a positive impact on the course of the season as Carrick took charge of Boro. After some slippage, the team started to look much better on the pitch, broke into the play-off zone, and in February and March began to claim the seemingly dubious prospect of moving Sheffield United from second place. Carrick's side suffered a misfire in the last round that again put them far away from the target, but ahead of the next meeting the home fans can be encouraged by the fact that their favourites have consistently followed up the past five defeats with solid wins. Burnley come into the 40th round match as leaders, with an eleven-point advantage over second place and seventeen over third. Theoretically, already at the end of Friday's encounter, the Bundes could be celebrating promotion to the Premier League. The bookmakers ahead of the match at Riverside were unable to identify a favourite, with only a paltry slant in the odds in favour of the home side. Middlesbrough have played ten rounds of the Championship in the last two months. Out of a possible 30 points, Boro have managed to pick up 23, losing to Huddersfield and West Bromwich and drawing with Stoke City. Their upcoming opponents, for example, despite their status as leaders, have lost by one point more over a similar period. Middlesbrough are notable for their confident play at home. The team's last home defeat came in mid-October 2022, when they allowed Blackburn to score two goals before the 18th minute. Burnley suffered such a slap in the FA Cup in their last match before the national break that their players have hardly yet fully recovered. "The Bordeaux played on the field of the champions and got six unanswered goals from Manchester City. On Friday, the team hosted Sunderland at home, who also failed to score a single goal (0-0). In the first round match between the rivals, Middlesbrough scored first, but Burnley turned the tide midway through the second half, sending three goals into Steffen's net in 12 minutes (3-1 overall). Let's bet that Boro will get their revenge at home.