Middlesbrough suffered their first defeat of the season after they were beaten 1-0 by Norwich City at the Carrow Road on Saturday. Teemu Pukki’s goal proved to be the difference between the two teams.
The Riversiders are placed at the 4th spot in the Championship table at the moment with 14 points to their name from 7 games. Unarguably, Tony Pulis’ side have shown that they will feature prominently in the race for promotion this season.
Boro are due to host Bolton Wanderers at the Riverside Stadium tonight. Although they are set to start as the favourites, Pulis will know now is not the time to take things lightly.
Middlesbrough Team News
Striker Rudy Gestede suffered an ankle injury in the pre-season at Accrington and is yet to feature for his side this season. Although he is closing in on a return, he is unlikely to feature against Bolton Wanderers.
PREDICTED MIDDLESBROUGH LINE-UP TO FACE BOLTON WANDERERS (3-4-3)
Defence
Darren Randolph is set to be stationed under the bar yet again. Ahead of him, we expect a three-man defensive wall comprising of Aden Flint, Daniel Ayala and Dael Fry to be stationed by Pulis.
Flint has been rock-solid at the heart of Middlesbrough’s defence this season as in 7 league appearances, he has mustered 5.6 clearances and 1 block per game on an average. Ayala and Fry have also been decent at the back.
Midfield
Muhamed Besic and Adam Clayton have the ability to cushion their side’s back line and at the same time, they have the calibre to dictate the tempo of the game from the middle of the park. Their camaraderie has been excellent so far.
Meanwhile, we expect George Friend to see the green light from Pulis to start as the left wing-back once again. Friend has been shrewd in the attacking endeavours and has been resilient in catering to his defensive duties too.
In 7 appearances, the 30-year-old has scored 1 goal. Besides, he has also garnered 1.7 tackles and 4 clearances per game on an average. Ryan Shotton is seemingly likely to keep his place at the right wing-back slot.
Attack
Britt Assombalonga is set to be rolled out as the centre-forward for the Smoggies. The striker has bagged just 2 goals in 7 league starts and he has to start delivering more in the upcoming fixtures for his side.
He is expected to be aided by Stewart Downing from the left wing and Martin Braithwaite from the other side. Their attacking endeavours and productivity would be of huge importance against Phil Parkinson’s entourage.
Statistics Credits: WhoScored