On Saturday afternoon, north east rivals Middlesbrough and Sunderland go head-to-head at the Riverside Stadium in the third round of the FA Cup.
Middlesbrough have experienced a mixed campaign so far in the Championship. Boro have already fired one boss in Garry Monk and will be hoping that new boss Tony Pulis can guide them to success this season.
The home side’s recent results suggest that their form is turning around for the better, as they have won three of their last four games in the second tier, including winning 3-2 at Preston on New Year’s Day.
Boro’s home results this season have also been inconsistent. Two wins and two defeats from their last four outings on home soil illustrate that perfectly.
The north east sides recent home games have been low scoring, with under 2.5 goals scored in six of their last seven games at the Riverside Stadium.
One big positive for Pulis’ side heading into this clash is that they have beaten Sunderland in the last four meetings in all competitions.
Sunderland have sunk to the bottom of the Championship table after a brief upturn in fortunes under boss Chris Coleman. The Black Cats have won just one of their last four games while losing two of their last three outings.
Last time out Coleman’s side suffered a 1-0 home defeat against relegation rivals Barnsley.
The north east side like their opponents have been involved in a number of low scoring games of late, with five of their last six games seeing under 2.5 goals.
Sunderland have won just two of their last 12 games in all competitions on their travels. However, one of those victories was in their last away game at Nottingham Forest.
Forebet predicts that Middlesbrough will come out on top in this local derby and progress to the fourth round of the FA Cup.