After a promising looking 4-match unbeaten sequence, Middlesbrough were handed a narrow 1-0 defeat away at Cardiff City last Saturday which left Jonathan Woodgate’s Boro side in 15th place in the Championship.
After a difficult start to Woodgate’s tenure at Middlesbrough which saw the hosts pick up just 1 point from their first 3 matches of the new Championship season, Boro then started to quietly but steadily put some encouraging results together.
A point on the opening night of the new season with a 3-3 draw away at Luton Town was followed by disappointing back-to-back defeats to Brentford and Blackburn Rovers, but Boro bounced back with wins over Wigan Athletic and Reading along with points picked up in draws against Millwall and Bristol City.
A similar pattern of results has also unfolded at home for Middlesbrough as they started their campaign off with a surprising 1-0 loss to Brentford but quickly set the record straight with 2 wins from their next 3 matches at the Riverside Stadium.
🦉 Plenty of positives to take from last night...Now we move on to @Boro this weekend 👊🎥/@LENSGOvisuals #swfc pic.twitter.com/I2SGUPq43b— Sheffield Wednesday (@swfc) September 25, 2019
🦉 Plenty of positives to take from last night...Now we move on to @Boro this weekend 👊🎥/@LENSGOvisuals #swfc pic.twitter.com/I2SGUPq43b
Visitors, Sheffield Wednesday, recently suffered back-to-back defeats to Preston North End and QPR, both by 2-1 margins, but The Owls have bounced back under new manager, Garry Monk, as the visitors have recorded a 2-0 win away at Yorkshire rivals, Huddersfield Town along with last weekend’s point against Fulham in a 1-1 draw.
Sheffield Wednesday started the season with an unexpected bang following the shock departure of former manager, Steve Bruce, as The Owls recorded early back-to-back wins against Reading and Barnsley, but they were unable to continue that early momentum.
A defeat to Millwall was quickly followed by the aforementioned losses to Preston and QPR, but the arrival of Monk has steadied the ship and they’ll now be looking to move closer to the top six.
However, just 3 away wins out of their last 12 matches on the road suggests that The Owls could struggle to get the maximum 3 points at the Riverside on Saturday, and these last 12 away matches also includes no fewer than 7 draws.
Middlesbrough have won 5 of the last 7 meetings against Sheffield Wednesday, but the high number of draws that Wednesday have been involved in lately on the road may also throw doubt over a Middlesbrough win here. The draw no bet option (AH0) on Middlesbrough would seem the safest option - if it ends a draw the stake is refunded.