Middlesbrough and Southampton will be desperate to return to winning ways when they face each other at the Riverside on Sunday, after a hugely disappointing end to 2025 for the pair.
Boro have lost three of their last four games, not scoring in any, to slip to third, while the Saints’ play-off push has stalled following a five-match winless streak.
Team news
Middlesbrough have had defensive issues with Alfie Jones and George Edmundson having been sidelined recently, while Darragh Lenihan has not featured since the 1-1 draw with Preston in mid-September.
Dael Fry made a second-half appearance against Blackburn on Boxing Day but has not made the match-day squad in the two games since, while influential midfielder Riley McGree is currently nursing a hamstring strain.
Saints trio Shea Charles, Samuel Edozie and Ross Stewart are struggling with hamstring complaints, while Mads Roerslev and Damion Downs remain on the treatment table.
The stats
Middlesbrough have not scored in any of their last four fixtures, of which they have lost three.
Boro’s recent slump has seen them drop to third in the table, one point behind Ipswich and nine behind leaders Coventry.
The Teessiders have an excellent home record of seven wins, three draws and just two defeats, although they were beaten 1-0 by Hull last time out at the Riverside.
Southampton have lost six of their away matches so far in the Championship, winning three and drawing four.
Only leaders Coventry (28) have scored more away goals than Southampton (21) but only Sheffield United (25) have conceded more on their travels than the Saints (23)
Tonda Eckert’s men have not won in five games to slip to 14th in the table, seven points outside the top six.
Prediction
With both teams low on confidence, this Sunday’s meeting could easily develop into an extremely cagey affair.
Neither manager can really afford to incur a defeat, as Hellberg aims to resurrect Boro’s ailing automatic promotion bid and Eckert navigates his first rocky patch after a remarkable start to his tenure in the St Mary’s hotseat.
While they have only lost twice in the league at the Riverside this term, Boro’s recent goal-scoring drought tempers any enthusiasm that they can make home advantage count, particularly allied to the fact they have only scored 16 times in 15 home league games.
However, Southampton are unlikely to capitalise on the hosts’ current fragilities and have struggled on the road so far, but they should have enough about them to keep Boro in check.
