Middlesbrough vs Crewe Predictions

After defeat at the weekend, it hasn’t been the greatest couple of weeks for Middlesbrough boss Jonathan Woodgate. He’s aiming to secure a first win as a manager by seeing off Crewe in the EFL Cup, but will they come through this tricky tie? It’s a test for the new style of play that Woodgate is trying to introduce. After a tough spell at the Riverside he’s hoping to win admirers with an attacking brand of football, but could that major switch lead to another high scoring clash at this ground?

Boro were beaten 1-0 by Brentford on Saturday, with their loss leaving them towards the bottom of the early Championship table. The hosts were among the top sides in the division early last season, but they’ve been in terrible form through 2019. Woodgate hasn’t really got his new era up and running just yet, while he is left with plenty of work to do at both ends of the pitch. However, the hosts should expect to return to scoring form against fourth-tier opposition.

Crewe have started the season with three points from their opening two games, but will they be able to secure a second win of the season here? The visitors don’t have the great string of results in the EFL Cup, which is likely to continue as they are massive outsiders for this clash. On the bright side, the visitors are pretty prolific when it comes to scoring on the road in this competition. One blank in nine trips is a fine return which they’ll look to continue in this tie.

Crewe have seen both teams score in their last six matches in the EFL Cup. They have conceded plenty in recent seasons in this competition, while Middlesbrough have opened up a little in the EFL Cup. They saw both teams score in their first three matches in this competition last term, on their way to elimination in the quarter-finals. They opened up with a 3-3 thriller against Notts County at home, which was an unusual result  under uber-defensive Tony Pulis.

We’ve seen Middlesbrough open up a little more and now this feels like a chance for them to build on that with a few goals. However, their attacking intent comes at a price, with an opening likely to be created for a Crewe side who have a strong EFL Cup scoring record behind them. We’re going with both teams to score for this clash, which has landed in five of Crewe’s last seven away games in this tournament.