Middlesbrough’s promotion credentials assessed as pundits deliver Sunderland score prediction

Middlesbrough’s promotion credentials assessed as pundits deliver Sunderland score prediction

EFL expert David Prutton believes Middlesbrough remain a work in progress this season, but sees potential in them being able to emulate the Michael Carrick side of the season before last.

Boro have had a mixed start to the new season. With five games played, Boro are in a better position than this same stage last term with eight points leaving them 10th in the table ahead of Saturday’s trip to rivals Sunderland. But it’s hard not to escape a feeling of frustration in the number of dropped points that could, and probably should, see them in a far stronger position.

Despite that, Sky Sports chief EFL pundit Prutton still sees a lot of potential in Boro’s squad and believes Carrick could eventually get them playing as well as they did shortly after his arrival at the club. During an excellent six-month spell following his arrival in October 2022, Boro went from 21st in the Championship to the top-six before their play-off disappointment.

Making his prediction for the Sunderland game, Prutton told Sky Sports: “It was a cracking game for Sunderland last weekend, but unfortunately for the Sunderland fans, that’s a long way to travel for a 93rd-minute winner from the home side. They’ll hope to right that wrong.

“As with Boro, still very much feeling like a work in progress. I still feel there is potential there in the team to emulate what happened in the year before last, which was obviously getting into the play-offs. Time will tell. This is a really good game, two good footballing teams, and it will be an absolutely packed-out Stadium of Light for this one. I’ll go 2-2.”

As mentioned, Sunderland go into Saturday’s Stadium of Light clash on the back of their first defeat of the season. New boss Regis Le Bris orchestrated the Wearsiders’ best start to a new season in almost a century as they won four in four while only conceding one goal. However, they were beaten 3-2 by bottom-of-the-league Plymouth Argyle last weekend.

Also predicting a stalemate ahead of the Wear-Tees derby, Sam Parkin told the Championship Check-In podcast: “I think I’ll take a draw actually. Boro have only been beaten once haven’t they, and Sunderland tasted defeat for the first time. I quite like the draw. I think it might be quite cagey… bit of a rivalry. I’ll go 1-1”