MX23RW : Friday, April 26 13:27:03| >> :60:1895:1895:
[monks data]
Bournemouth logo
Championship
Mar 15, 2014 at 3pm UK
 
Middlesbrough logo

0-0

FT

Preview: Bournemouth vs. Middlesbrough

Sports Mole previews Saturday's Championship clash between in-form Bournemouth and Middlesbrough.

Bournemouth will be looking to continue their fine recent form when they take on Middlesbrough at Dean Court on Saturday.

The Cherries have enjoyed a superb March so far, winning all three of their matches without conceding a goal to climb up to 12th in the Championship table.

The sudden surge of consistency is something that has been lacking all season for Eddie Howe's side, and it surely comes too late for them to launch a serious charge for the playoffs.

However, their run does set them up for a promising finish to their first campaign in the Championship, and optimism will be high for next season if they can cling on to a top-half position.

Only runaway league leaders Leicester have been able to win at the Goldsands in Bournemouth's last seven league outings there, while their most recent match in front of their own fans resulted in a 5-0 thrashing of Doncaster Rovers.

The star of that show was Yann Kermorgant, but he is likely to miss this weekend's game along with Charlie Daniels and Elliot Ward due to injury.

Middlesbrough, meanwhile, have finally found their scoring touch again and could climb as high as 10th in the table with a victory on Saturday.

Having gone seven games without finding the back of the net, Boro eased to a 2-0 win over Ipswich last Saturday and followed that up with a respectable 1-1 draw against high flying Nottingham Forest.

Aitor Karanka's side have forged a formidable defensive record in recent weeks, with seven clean sheets in their last 11 games, although that has been largely overshadowed by their troubles in front of goal.

As with Bournemouth, the playoffs are now beyond Boro this season, but a strong end to the campaign would increase hopes of a top-six push next year.

To do that, they will need to improve their away form, which has seen them go four matches without a win or a goal in the league, picking up just one point in that time.

Karanka will be without Jonathan Woodgate once again, while Lee Tomlin could also miss out having picked up a knock in midweek.

Recent form

Bournemouth: DDLWWW

Middlesbrough: DLDLWD

Possible starting lineups

Bournemouth: Camp; Francis, Elphick, Cook, Harte; Surman, Arter, Fraser, Ritchie; Pugh; Grabban

Middlesbrough: Konstantopoulos; Varga, Omeruo, Gibson, Friend; Leadbitter, Chalobah; Adomah, Ledesma, Carayol; Graham

Sports Mole says: 2-0


ID:144064: cacheID:144064:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:4928:No Data Analysis info

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Restore Data
Share this article now:
Blackpool manager Barry Ferguson looks on during the Championship match against Reading on January 28, 2014
Read Next:
Preview: Blackpool vs. Bournemouth
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal34245582265677
2Manchester CityMan City33237380324876
3Liverpool34228475344174
4Aston Villa34206871502166
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs32186865491660
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd33165125150153
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle331551369541550
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham34139125463-948
9Chelsea32138116157447
10Bournemouth34129134960-1145
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton331111115254-244
12Wolverhampton WanderersWolves34127154654-843
13Fulham34126165054-442
14Crystal Palace34109154456-1239
15Brentford3498175259-735
16Everton34118153648-1233
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3479184260-1826
18Luton TownLuton3467214775-2825
19Burnley3458213769-3223
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd3437243392-5916


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!