Preview: Middlesbrough vs Bristol City - prediction, team news, lineups

Second-placed Middlesbrough welcome Bristol City to the Riverside Stadium for Saturday’s early Championship kickoff.

Kim Hellberg’s Boro suffered a significant setback in the Championship title race when they fell to a 1-0 home defeat against Charlton Athletic during the week, while the Robins arrive on a miserable run of form and will be desperate to end a four-game losing streak that has severely dented their promotion hopes.

Match preview

Hellberg replaced current Wolverhampton Wanderers boss Rob Edwards at the end of November, arriving at Middlesbrough with the club sitting second in the Championship and firmly targeting a return to the Premier League for the first time since the 2016-17 season.

Three months and 21 matches later, the Swedish boss has overseen a mixed but largely positive spell, winning 12, drawing three and losing six since taking charge at the Riverside Stadium, with those results keeping Boro firmly in the promotion mix heading into the final stretch of the campaign.

At the turn of the year, their form suggested they had the foundations to mount a serious title challenge, going toe-to-toe with Frank Lampard’s Coventry City at the summit of the table.

However, that bid has taken a hit in recent weeks.

A run of three matches without a victory saw Middlesbrough end February in disappointing fashion, although successive wins over Birmingham City and Queens Park Rangers at the start of March briefly restored momentum.

That progress was halted in midweek when Conor Coady’s 59th-minute strike condemned Boro to a narrow home defeat against Charlton, leaving them eight points behind the league leaders and only one point ahead of third-placed Millwall heading into the weekend.

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As for the visiting side Bristol City, they have been on a dismal run of form that has seen them knocked out of the FA Cup by League One Port Vale and their hopes of ending the season in the Championship's top six completely evaporate in the space of a few weeks.

While their defeat to Coventry may have been expected, it was the results either side that have affected them massively. 

The disappointing FA Cup exit earlier in the month was followed by a frustrating 2-0 league defeat away to relegation-threatened Leicester City, with the most recent result leaving the Robins down in 11th place in the table.

Although recovering a seven-point gap across nine games is not completely impossible, it remains unlikely Bristol City will be able to finish in the playoff places for a second successive season. 

The reverse fixture may give Struber's side hope they can turn their poor form around on Saturday, after beating Boro 2-0 at Ashton Gate just before Christmas. 

Middlesbrough Championship form:

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Bristol City Championship form:

Bristol City form (all competitions):

Team News

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Middlesbrough suffered no further injury setbacks ahead of this one but may be tempted to change things up as they look to return to winning ways. 

Dael Fry did not feature last time out and was rested because of a "precaution", he may come back into the fold ahead of this one. 

If he does start, then expect Adilson Malanda to make way as a like-for-like replacement at the back. 

Tommy Conway is expected to start against his former side and lead the line alongside David Strelec, who had scored in successive games before the midweek defeat. 

Bristol City, meanwhile, continue to deal with a lengthy injury list that has disrupted much of their campaign.

Joe Williams, Luke McNally and Adam Murphy remain long-term absentees, while centre-back duo Rob Atkinson and Rob Dickie have also joined the trio in the treatment room in recent weeks.

The Robins have struggled to replace their solid defenders since their respective injuries but can take hope from the fact they will have an extra man in midfield to choose from on Saturday. 

Adam Randell has served his suspension for a red card he received against Coventry City and could come straight back into the starting XI. 

Middlesbrough possible starting lineup:

Brynn; Brittain, Ayling, Fry, Targett; Whittaker, Morris, Hackney, McGree; Strelec, Conway

Bristol City possible starting lineup:

Vitek; Tanner, Eile, N. Borges; Knight, Bird, Randell, McCrorie; Twine, Riis, Horvat

We say: Middlesbrough 3-1 Bristol City

Struber's side did manage to defeat Middlesbrough earlier this season, but completing a league double looks a far tougher task given their current run of form. 

We expect Boro to return to winning ways at the weekend and mount pressure on the Robins as they suffer their fifth straight defeat of the season. 

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