Middlesbrough are set to welcome Aston Villa to the Riverside tomorrow.
Sky Sports pundit David Prutton predicted the outcome of tomorrow’s Championship clash between Boro and Villa, when writing his regular prediction column for Sky Sports.
Middlesbrough will head into the game full of confidence, after beating Bolton Wanderers 2-0 on Boxing Day, and with new manager Tony Pulis now at the helm.
They currently sit in seventh spot in the table – a position that will be seen as a huge disappointment by Boro fans, following their side’s heavy expenditure in the summer.
Villa, meanwhile, will go into the game at the Riverside full of trepidation, having gone five Championship games without a victory – a run that has seen them drop down to eighth position in the table.
Prutton labelled the match a ‘heavyweight clash’, when writing his regular prediction column for Sky Sports, explaining why he envisages an exciting encounter at the Riverside tomorrow:
“Middlesbrough made it very clear that the only target for the season was an immediate return to the Premier League, and they were far too inconsistent under Garry Monk to launch a real challenge for the top two. That’s why Tony Pulis is in. This is a heavyweight game in the Sky Bet Championship and the reverse fixture earlier in the season was an absolutely dreadful goalless draw. There should be more goals here, though, and I think it Boro will edge it.”
Prediction: Middlesbrough 2-1 Aston Villa
A win for either side tomorrow would see them jump back inside the top six, should Sheffield United lose at home to Bolton Wanderers, and that in itself should be enough to ensure an exciting, attacking game of football on Teesside.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
