Middlesbrough look to move closer towards Championship safety as they welcome Barnsley to the Riverside Stadium.
Victory will lift Boro outside of the relegation zone, whereas Barnsley could close the gap to safety down to four points if they win.
Team news
Embed from Getty ImagesMiddlesbrough’s Marvin Johnson begins a three match ban after being sent off during Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Hull.
George Friend and Ryan Shotton are ruled out with thigh injuries, although Friend is out until February after an “unavoidable” setback.
Marcus Browne and Rudy Gestede are also absent with hamstring injuries alongside George Saville, who is serving the last of a three match ban after he was sent off at Derby earlier this month.
Barnsley will be without defender Aapo Halme after he was subbed during Saturday’s defeat at Blackburn with a head injury.
Other than Halme, the Tykes have a full squad available for selection.
Stat Attack
- Middlesbrough are unbeaten in their last four meetings with Barnsley (W3, D1).
- Both teams have scored in their last five league meetings, with Middlesbrough scoring at least twice in each clash.
- Barnsley are winless in their last 17 games in all competitions and are the only Championship team to have not won at least twice this season.
Prediction
Middlesbrough showed signs of progress on Sunday going forward but defensively, they’re still poor regardless of whether it’s 10 or 11 men on the pitch.
Aggressive tackling however seems to be creeping into Boro with two red cards in their last three games, so Barnsley will fancy their chances of forcing Boro into unnecessary tackles in the knowledge that they could gain a crucial man advantage.
I however am going for Middlesbrough to win this given their better head-to-head form, although a red card and the Tykes will be favourites.
Prediction: Middlesbrough 2-1 Barnsley
Result: Middlesbrough 1-0 Barnsley