EFL expert David Prutton believes Middlesbrough is still a work in progress this season but sees the potential for them to replicate the success of the Michael Carrick-led team from two seasons ago.
Middlesbrough has had a mixed start, currently sitting 10th in the table with eight points after five matches—an improvement compared to this time last year. However, there’s a lingering frustration over dropped points that could have placed them in a stronger position.
Despite this, Prutton remains optimistic about Boro’s squad and thinks Carrick could guide them to play as well as they did shortly after his arrival in October 2022, when they surged from 21st in the Championship to the top six before falling short in the playoffs.
Previewing the upcoming match against Sunderland, Prutton remarked, “Sunderland had a thrilling game last weekend, but it’s a long way to travel for a 93rd-minute winner against them. They’ll want to bounce back. Like Boro, Sunderland feels like a work in progress. I believe there’s potential in the team to achieve a playoff finish again. It should be a fantastic matchup between two good sides, with a packed Stadium of Light. I predict a 2-2 draw.”
Sunderland enters this derby after suffering their first defeat of the season. Under new manager Regis Le Bris, they had an impressive start, winning four consecutive games while conceding just one goal, but fell 3-2 to bottom-placed Plymouth Argyle last weekend.
Also anticipating a draw, Sam Parkin stated on the Championship Check-In podcast, “I’m leaning towards a draw. Boro has only lost once, and Sunderland just experienced their first defeat. I expect it to be a tight match given the rivalry. I’ll go with 1-1.”
