Middlesbrough will resume their Championship playoff bid when they welcome Oxford United to the Riverside Stadium for Saturday’s contest.
The hosts are sitting in eighth place in the league table, while the U’s are in 18th position and four points above the drop zone.
Match preview
Middlesbrough are sitting three points adrift of the playoffs after winning 15, drawing nine and losing 14 of their 38 league matches this season.
Boro proved to be a tough team to beat in the run-up to the international window, losing just one of their final five games before the two-week break.
They followed back-to-back wins with a defeat against Swansea City, before they returned to winning ways in their most recent home outing against Queens Park Rangers.
Michael Carrick‘s side then had to settle for a goalless draw in their meeting with relegation-threatened Luton Town at Kenilworth Road, ensuring that they have now won just one of their previous seven away matches (D1, L6).
In contrast to their recent away form, Boro have won their last two matches at the Riverside Stadium, meaning that they could now win three league home games in a row for the first time since October 2023.
They also boast an impressive record in meetings with Oxford, having avoided defeat in each of their last nine head-to-head league games, including a resounding 6-2 victory in November’s reverse fixture.
Oxford went into the international break in a positive mood after they took maximum points off Watford to end a nine-game winless run.
The home contest appeared to be heading towards a goalless draw until Siriki Dembele netted an 82nd-minute winner to seal Oxford’s first win since January 1.
However, the U’s will be well aware that they cannot rest on their laurels in their bid to avoid an immediate return to the third tier, with four points separating them from the relegation zone ahead of the final eight games of the season.
Oxford also know that they will have their work cut out to take three points from Saturday’s fixture, having won just one of their 19 away league matches this term.
That solitary away victory took place on New Year’s Day when they edged out Millwall by a narrow 1-0 scoreline at the Den.
The U’s have not beaten Middlesbrough since recording a 3-1 home victory in February 1990, while their most recent head-to-head away win took place in April 1985.
Team News
Middlesbrough remain without the services of Sol Brynn, Seny Dieng, Luke Ayling, George Edmundson, Dael Fry, Alex Bangura, Darragh Lenihan and Ben Doak.
Rav van den Berg and Riley McGree are back in training and looking to prove their fitness in time for Saturday’s contest.
January addition Kelechi Iheanacho will be desperate to open his Middlesbrough account when he leads the line against the U’s.
As for Gary Rowett‘s side, they are likely to be without the defensive trio of Elliott Moore, Joe Bennett and Greg Leigh.
Forward Tom Bradshaw is also expected to miss Saturday’s away trip having been out of action since the start of February with a knee injury.
Rowett has revealed that he will have to assess whether Ole ter Haar Romeny is ready to start following his extensive travels for Indonesia’s two World Cup qualifiers against Australia and Bahrain.
Middlesbrough possible starting lineup:
Travers; Dijksteel, Howson, Neto Borges, Iling Junior; Morris, Hackney, Burgzorg, Conway, Azaz; Iheanacho
Oxford United possible starting lineup:
Cumming; Ter Avest, Helik, Nelson, Brown; Brannagan, Vaulks, Dembele; Goodrham, Placheta, Harris
We say: Middlesbrough 2-1 Oxford United
Oxford may have recorded a home victory over Watford before the international break, but they have tended to struggle on their travels this season, and with that in mind, we think that they will fall to a narrow defeat in Saturday’s away meeting with Middlesbrough.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
