Middlesbrough v Sunderland predictions: Tees-Wear derby to go way of hosts

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Middlesbrough v Sunderland in the Championship on Monday.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Main Event & Football, 8pm Monday

Best bet

Middlesbrough
1pt 4-5 general

Team news

Middlesbrough
The hosts are expected to be without Zack Steffen and Chuba Akpom, but Darragh Lenihan and Jonny Howson could return after shaking off knocks.

Sunderland
Leon Dajaku, Dan Ballard and Carl Winchester are out for the visitors.

Match preview

Tony Mowbray is revered at Middlesbrough for what he achieved as a player but he returns to Teesside on Monday night in the early stages of a new project as manager of Sunderland.

Following Alex Neil's departure for Stoke City, Mowbray took charge of newly promoted Sunderland and led the Black Cats to a 3-0 win over Rotherham in his first match in charge.

Boro, meanwhile, find themselves in the drop zone with only one win from seven matches but, in Chris Wilder, they have a top manager at Championship level and were considered among the frontrunners for promotion at the start of the campaign.

They have picked up only one win from their first seven matches but that came in their most recent home contest - a 1-0 triumph against Swansea - and a Tees–Wear derby with Sunderland should bring out the best in Wilder's players.

Middlesbrough have won the shot count in five of their opening seven Championship fixtures this term and it should only be a matter of time before everything clicks, especially given that they finished just one place outside of the playoffs in the 2021-22 season.

They are at their strongest on home soil with 14 of their 20 league wins last season coming at the Riverside, and while Sunderland have started well under Mowbray, they fell to defeats against promotion hopefuls Sheffield United and Norwich in August.

Up against another side with their sights set on a top-six finish, they could be worth opposing in front of the Sky cameras.

Key stat

Middlesbrough had the seventh-best home record in the Championship last season, losing only seven of their 23 matches at the Riverside.

Inside info

Middlesbrough

Penalty taker Paddy McNair
Assist ace Ryan Giles
Set-piece aerial threat Darragh Lenihan
Card magnet Isaiah Jones

Sunderland

Penalty taker Ross Stewart
Assist ace Ross Stewart
Set-piece aerial threat Danny Batth
Card magnet Luke O'Nien

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