Middlesbrough vs Swansea prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2022-08-26 14:00.
Despite being tipped by many as a potential dark horse for the title, Middlesbrough have made an awful five-game winless start to the league season (D3, L2). One more winless game will ensure Boro's worst winless start to a campaign since 1984/85, yet the signing of Brazilian striker Rodrigo MĂşniz during the week at least inspires some hope of ending that here.
Defender Matt Clarke will also bolster Boro, but Chris Wilder highlighted that he still expects more signings before the deadline and needs a win “by hook or by crook”, or else they may rue these dropped points come May. Boro’s failure to win hasn’t been for the want of trying, with more possession and goal attempts than their opponents in every league game so far.
Swansea City are in need of new signings themselves but reports suggest that there is no scope for more additions. That somewhat dampens Swansea’s promotion hopes, especially when boss Russell Martin indicated that his aim for the season was to "Improve on last season and create assets that help the club become sustainable”.
Martin is yet to defeat Middlesbrough (D1, L1) although Swansea’s record of just two defeats across the last nine H2Hs perhaps inspires belief (W4, D3). Both of the defeats in that H2H sequence came in their most recent visits to the Riverside and they risk losing three in a row on Teesside for the first time since 1966, though the Swans are yet to be defeated on their travels (W1, D1) this season.
Players to watch: Boro’s Riley McGree scored three of his four goals last term against Welsh sides Swansea and Cardiff, while the other was against nearby Bristol! Olivier Ntcham is the only Swansea player to score across the last 412 minutes of league play, with their other two strikes coming from own goals.
Hot stat: Middlesbrough have conceded a joint league-high six first-half goals ahead of the round.