Middlesbrough vs Preston Predictions

Middlesbrough can edge Preston at the Riverside

Middlesbrough should be backed to beat Preston at home in the Championship on Saturday.

They are second in the Championship, four places and nine points above Preston, with both teams having won more games than they’ve lost this season. The hosts have 15 wins and six defeats, while the visitors have 11 wins and seven losses.

Middlesbrough are in fine fettle, having lost just one of their last six home games against Preston in the Championship. They are aiming for a fourth straight success.

Goals have proved easy to come by for Middlesbrough lately, with an average of 2.17 goals a game in their six Championship games against other teams in the top six this season. They have also scored two goals or more in three consecutive matches.

Middlesbrough have been impressive defensively at home this season, conceding just 11 goals in 13 Championship games – an average of 0.85 goals per game.

Preston have sustained two successive Championship reverses.

Middlesbrough may be able to edge out Preston in a closely-fought game, with a 2-1 home win the correct-score pick. Both teams have scored in seven of the last nine Championship meetings between these sides, and Middlesbrough have recorded two straight wins by a goal.

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Edited by Mark Langdon