Match Preview: Middlesbrough v Sunderland – Starting XI, everything you need to know ahead of ‘new’ kick-off time
Match Preview: Middlesbrough v Sunderland – Starting XI, everything you need to know ahead of ‘new’ kick-off time
Tickets & Match Coverage
Tickets: Tickets are sold out.
TV/Stream: Full live match coverage is available via ITV.
Radio: Full live match commentary available via BBC Radio Newcastle (not online)
The build-up…
We’re being transported back a little tonight, to the days of the ‘The Match’ on Tyne-Tees with the sounds of Roger Thames and his mates, because tonight the game is live on ITV. I would guess it’s been over 30 years since this fixture at this level was last on terrestrial TV, so it feels like a bit of a throwback.
Taking all the derby/close proximity talk out of it, it’s still a huge game at the top of the Championship. We’ve opened up an eleven point gap between ourselves and West Brom and Middlesbrough, who sit 5th and 6th respectively on 44 points, and the result tonight may go some way to dictate whether the top four continue to pull away from the rest.
Following our 2-2 draw against Plymouth last weekend, it’s fair to say that the mood has dropped a bit, but it’s easy to forget we’re unbeaten in five games and have only been on the wrong end of a result once in the last eleven. We also boast the third best away record in the division, taking only three points fewer than Middlesbrough have at home this season in the same amount of games.
But history tells us that it isn’t easy to go down the A19 and bring back all three points. We haven’t achieved this since Julio Arca and Tommy Miller did their thing in 2005 and having beat them at our place, we haven’t completed the double over them since 1962.
Middlesbrough are one of many clubs that have found themselves in the Championship for a long time. They’ve plied their trade at this level for 15 out of the previous 16 seasons and since their last relegation in 2016-17, have finished outside of the the top ten only once.
This is Michael Carrick’s second full season in charge at the Riverside and after missing out on the play-offs last season following an impressive start to his managerial career the year before, the pressure may be on to cement one of those play-off places this time around.
What appears to be impacting them this season is finding consistency. Until December, they hadn’t gone more than three successive games without defeat, and a six game run without loss through December and January included four draws. But it did appear that they may be making a late charge, before two defeats in the last three have allowed the likes of West Brom, Blackburn and Bristol City to remain within three points.
For a side in a play-off position, their home is only the tenth best in the division, but on the flip side they haven’t seen a defeat on home soil since a 2-1 loss to Blackburn in late-November.
The betting…
The bookies have the home side down as favourites at 13/10, while an away win is priced at around 2/1 and the draw is 12/5.
Head to head… at Middlesbrough
(All competitions)
- Sunderland wins: 22
- Draws: 19
- Middlesbrough wins: 37
- Sunderland goals: 92
- Middlesbrough goals: 122
Last time we met… at the Riverside Stadium
Sunday 4th February 2024
Championship
Middlesbrough 1-1 Sunderland
[Forss 61’ – Rusyn 83’]
Sunderland: Patterson, Gooch (Dajaku), O’Nien, Batth, Cirkin (Wright), Evans, Neil, Roberts (Diallo), Pritchard (Embleton), Clarke, Simms Substitutes not used: Bass, Alese, Matete
Middlesbrough: Glover, Ayling, Engel (Thomas), Barlaser (O’Brien), Fry, Van Den Berg, Forss (Silvera), Howson, Greenwood (Coburn), Hackney, Azaz Substitutes not used: Jones, Dijksteel, Clarke, McNair, Gilbert
Attendance: 31,716
Played for both…
Peter Davenport
Davenport was plucked from the West Cheshire league by Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest and didn’t look back. Four years at the City Ground resulted in a move to Manchester United in 1986 under Ron Atkinson, before playing under Alex Ferguson.
A move to Middlesbrough came in 1988 and then Denis Smith brought Davenport to Roker in 1990 to replace Eric Gates after promotion to Division One.
Three years and 120 appearances later, Davenport made a move north of the border to join Airdrie, followed by spells at St Johnstone, Stockport County, Southport and Macclesfield Town, before retiring 2004.
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