Middlesbrough travel south for a tricky opening day to visit Millwall at The Den.
Middlesbrough kick-off their 2017/18 campaign away to Millwall, for what looks like a tricky opening game for Tony Pulis’s side. Boro fell short against Aston Villa in last season’s play-offs and will be hoping to gain promotion this time around.
Failure to get off to a good start to the season will see Pulis under pressure, with the Boro faithful keen to see their side make their return to the Premier League at the second time of asking.
For Saturday’s trip to The Den, Middlesbrough are likely to line up with a 4-3-3 formation, with Britt Assombalonga leading the line up top. Stewart Downing and Adama Traore are expected to play either side of the former Peterbrough man. Although the latter has been reported to be joining Wolverhampton Wanderers (the Telegraph), he should play on Saturday if no further developments unfold.
Aden Flint and Paddy McNair have arrived from Bristol City and Sunderland respectively and the former is expected to start at the heart of the defence. Ben Gibson is likely to be Flint’s partner although much has been made of his future, with Burnley reportedly keen (Sky Sports).
The Teesiders had a rather indifferent pre-season with a mixture of wins and losses, but Saturday’s trip to The Den will show the fans how far they have come this summer.
Pulis certainly has to appease the Boro faithful and he will be reliant on his troops to do the job in hand. Darren Randolph is expected to start in goal with Grant Leadbitter skippering the side.
See Also: Boro star offered new deal to ward off PL interest
Here is our predicted Middlesbrough line up:
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