On Saturday afternoon, Middlesbrough will play host to Huddersfield Town, and they will be trying to become the first team in the Championship this year to win back-to-back games.
Even though the away team is now in last place in the rankings, a win for them at the Riverside Stadium would bring them within two points of their opponents while also giving them an extra opportunity to catch up thanks to the extra game they would have played.
Our Match Preview: Middlesbrough vs Huddersfield Town
While Michael Carrick’s arrival as the permanent replacement for Chris Wilder has not been officially confirmed as of Thursday morning, the former Manchester United midfielder is generally expected to join the North-East club.
According to sources, the 41-year-old first turned down the opportunity to transfer to Boro, but he recently made a U-Turn to provide the Championship strugglers with some stability before the World Cup.
Boro enjoyed their greatest performance of the season on Wednesday night, winning 4-1 in a comeback against Wigan Athletic. All four goals were scored in 25 minutes before and after halftime, which must have brought Carrick some relief.
Four different players scored, with Duncan Watmore and Chuba Akpom both scoring their fourth goal of the season, and the team is currently two points above the relegation zone as a consequence.
Carrick will join Boro with hopes of making the playoffs (they are now eight points out), but his immediate priority will be to prevent his talented team from fighting for survival in the bottom half of the league.
Mark Fotheringham is not the first manager Huddersfield has brought in, but he has found that he has a lot of work to do if he wants to get the Terriers out of difficulty.
Since Fotheringham’s arrival at the John Smith’s Stadium, the Yorkshire side has only won four of their five games, losing three times. Their most recent loss was a 3-0 setback at home to Preston North End last week.
After giving up three goals in each of Fotheringham’s first two games, a 1-0 loss means that just three goals have been surrendered in as many matches. Middlesbrough and the other clubs who made the Championship playoffs last year are in a tough place sitting at the bottom of the standings.
Our Team News: Middlesbrough vs Huddersfield Town
Regardless of whether Leo Percovich or Carrick is in control of Middlesbrough, they will need to make one change to their lineup because Matt Crooks has been suspended for one match.
Paddy McNair, who has served a suspension of his own, or Alex Mowatt are expected to come into the midfield, although Riley McGree is also a possibility, depending on if a squad with a greater emphasis on offense is picked.
Watmore and Akpom should continue to lead the line for the team, provided that there are no fitness difficulties. The rest of the lineup should remain the same.
After Huddersfield’s match on Tuesday against Preston, Fotheringham dropped hints that none of his injured players are going to be available for the match on the weekend.
It is possible that Yuta Nakayama will go back into the back three or to the left wing-back position if a change is made, and Jack Rudoni will be considered for a spot behind the front two if that role becomes available.
- Middlesbrough possible starting lineup: Steffen, Smith, Fry, Lenihan, Jones, Howson, McNair, Giles, Hackney, Watmore, Akpom.
- Huddersfield Town possible starting lineup: Nicholls, Lees, Helik, Turton, Thomas, Camara, Kasumu, Nakayama, Rudoni, Rhodes, Ward.
Our Prediction: Middlesbrough 2-1 Huddersfield Town
In light of the goals each team has set for itself, this contest has the potential to be a turning point for the rest of both teams’ respective seasons.
Even if the Terriers possess the characteristics necessary to earn at least a share of the spoils, we anticipate Boro coming out on top of this competition by scoring a late goal and taking the win.