Middlesbrough v Preston North End - Match Preview
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Middlesbrough were given a wake up call on Saturday when they suffered a 2-1 defeat to Brentford, a team that had managed just one away win all season before their trip to the Riverside Stadium on the weekend.
Despite that loss, Tony Pulis’s side still remain in the play-off pack although they’ll be more wary when Preston North End come to town on Wednesday night with Boro just four points ahead of 7th placed Bristol City who are just one win away from making life extremely difficult for the top six.
Middlesbrough’s recent results have produced a mixed return as they’ve captured wins against Blackburn Rovers and QPR, but have also been on the end of defeats to Sheffield United and Brentford.
The hosts now face an in-form Preston North End outfit on Wednesday, but although Boro have been a little inconsistent in recent times on home turf, the hosts have scored in six of their last seven home matches, and they’re unbeaten in their last 13 matches in all competitions against Wednesday night’s visitors, Preston.
Forward Hugill (6 goals) is tipped to start up front for the hosts.
Preston North End continued their steady progress up the Championship table with a 1-0 win away at Lancashire rivals, Blackburn Rovers which extended Preston’s unbeaten run in the second tier to 10 matches overall, and became the visitors’ fifth away win on the trot.
Alex Neil’s side have now moved up into 10th place and are now just four points adrift of 6th placed Derby County as the race for a top six finish intensifies. With five away wins on the trot, Preston are unlikely to be fazed by a trip to the Riverside Stadium, especially after seeing the result that Brentford pulled out on Saturday.
In addition, only 7th placed Bristol City (8 wins) have gained more away wins outside of the top six than Preston North End (7 wins), and the visitors have flown under the radar for some time in the Championship despite possessing some dangerous attacking personnel in the shape of Browne (11 goals), Gallagher (5 goals, 7 assists) and Robinson (9 goals).
The only thing that appears to have held Preston back so far this season though has been a lack of consistent clean sheets, and 8 of their 18 away matches to date have seen both teams score.
Middlesbrough will be desperate to return to winning ways here while Preston have scored in 12 of their last 14 away matches in the Championship. Both teams look likely to score here as a result.
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