Middlesbrough vs Nottingham Forest Predictions

• Middlesbrough have kept three straight clean sheets in the Championship.
• Nottingham Forest have conceded no more than one goal in any of their last ten away Championship matches.
• Eight of the last ten Boro home league games have featured fewer than three goals.

Goals on short supply when in-form sides meet

Goals should be scarce when two of the Championship’s form teams meet at the Riverside Stadium on Boxing Day. Middlesbrough are sixth in the six-game form table, having taken 11 points from their matches since Chris Wilder replaced Neil Warnock at the end of last month.

Wilder has overseen a number of improvements during that time, but Boro are by no means the finished article in terms of putting together a sustained promotion run. They need a centre forward to finish off the chances that are now being created by the play of a busy five-man midfield augmented by attacking wing-backs.

Last weekend, Boro had the second-highest xG of all teams in the division, 3.10, yet only managed to find the net once at home to Bournemouth. That was enough for the three points, however, because Wilder has tightened Boro up considerably at the back and they now bring a run of three straight clean sheets to the matchup with Nottingham Forest.

Boro may just edge home encounter

Last Saturday, Steve Cooper’s men came from behind to clinch the points at home to Hull City, extending their winning run to three. They have not conceded more than once in any of their last ten away league games and nine overall on the bounce.

Two sides with such solid defensive reputations could cancel each other out at the Riverside Stadium, so we are picking ‘unders’ for the main bet here. Eight of the last ten Boro home league games have featured fewer than three goals with 2-0 being the most frequent score in that period and it may well be the outcome again this weekend.