Middlesbrough sit in 7th place in the Championship but are level on points with 6th places play-off hopefuls Derby County ahead of their clash with Reading on Saturday.
Middlesbrough come into this clash on the back of a convincing 3-0 defeat away at a Nottingham Forest outfit who had previously suffered four defeats on the trot.
Middlesbrough manager, Tony Pauli’s, will therefore be demanding more of his team at the Riverside Stadium this Saturday as they look to bounce back with all three points in order to get their play-off ambitions back on track.
Boro will probably be relieved to be returning to familiar surroundings for this encounter as they’ve posted recent back-to-back wins against Hull City and Stoke City, both by 1-0 score lines.
Goals have been few and far between for Pulis’s Boro outfit at home this season and this is underlined by the fact that no fewer than 18 of their 22 home matches to date have resulted in under 2.5 goals.
Reading earned another solid point on Easter Monday when they held high-flying West Brom to a 0-0 draw at the Madejski Stadium which extended The Royals’ unbeaten run in the Championship to four matches overall.
The visitors have gained valuable points in recent draws with Championship league leaders Norwich City as well as play-off candidates Bristol City and West Brom, along with a 2-1 home win against Brentford.
Having lost just twice out of their last 11 matches overall in the Championship, The Royals have found a renewed resilience under Portuguese manager, Jose Gomes.
Reading have lost just three matches from their last 10 away from home, a run that also includes six draws and a win, so they may well make life difficult for Middlesbrough in this clash too.
Reading’s stubborn approach under Gomes has contributed to 12 of their 22 away matches resulting in under 2.5 goals as the Portuguese coach has certainly tightened up Reading’s defensive unit since taking over the reigns at the Madejski Stadium.
To sum up, Middlesbrough have struggled to score goals throughout the season while Reading’s recent form should see them keep things tight at the Riverside Stadium.
A low-scoring game looks to be on the cards here and could even end up a dull 0-0 draw.