Middlesbrough and Reading meet at Riverside Stadium, in a game for the 45th day of the Championship. In the last direct confrontation for this edition of the league, on 22-12-2018, Middlesbrough won it out by (0-1). In this stadium, the history of direct confrontations is favorable to the home team, which records 2 wins and 1 loss in the last 3 matches. In fact, the last time these two teams played a match at this stadium was on 10-02-2018, in a match for the Championship that ended with Middlesbrough’s victory by (2-1). The goals of the match were scored by Adama Traoré (44 ‘and 49’), for Middlesbrough, and C. Martin (78 ‘), for Reading. In spite of being a match between 7º and 20º of the table, in fact it is a confrontation between the 15º classified in parties in house and the 18º as visitor.
Middlesbrough:
The home team is currently in the 7 th position of the league, with 67 points won, after 18 wins, 13 draws and 13 losses. In the penultimate match, they won in a home match against Stoke City, by (1-0). In the last match, they lost in an away match against Nottingham Forest, by (3-0). This is a team that usually gets more positive results in away matches than at home, since they have won 34 points in away matches and 33 at their stadium, with 24 goals scored and 23 conceded in away matches, against 21 goals scored and 16 conceded at home. In the last 10 home league matches Middlesbrough has a record of 4 wins, 2 draws and 4 losses, so they have won 14 points out of 30 possible. They have not been very strong defensively, since they have suffered goals in 7 of the last 10 matches for this competition. In their home matches for this competition there is a tendency for few goals, since 18 of the last 22 matches have ended with Under 2,5 goals. In 44 matches in this tournament, he suffered the first goal 17 times and never got the comeback.
Middlesbrough left for this game after a 3-0 defeat, in the move to the Nottingham Forest arena, placing a final point to the three successive victories in the championship. It should be noted that locals aim to finish the championship among the top 6 of the table, as it offers an opportunity to play the promotion play-offs. Coach Tony Pulis must play in his usual tactical scheme, favoring the maintenance of possession of the ball and slow attacks, looking in most cases for the offensive reference Britt Assombalonga: this player is the best score of the team, with 12 goals scored. One of the strengths of this team is the way he manages to be superior in aerial plays. For this game the coach does not have Friend, Ayala and McQueen, all injured.
Reading:
The away team is currently in the 20 th position of the league, with 46 points won, after 10 wins, 16 draws and 18 losses. In the penultimate match, they tied in an away match against Bristol City, by (1-1). In the last match, they tied in a home match against West Bromwich Albion, by (0-0). This is a stronger team in their stadium, where they have won 29 points, against only 17 in their away games. For the league, Reading won 9 points out of 30 possible points, after 1 win, 6 draws and 3 losses in the last 10 home matches. In their home league matches the most frequent final result at halftime was 0-0 (10 in 22 matches). The team has conceded goals in 8 of the last 10 matches, so it has not presented great defensive solidity, but their offense has scored consistently, as they have scored goals in 7 of the last 10 matches for this competition. In 44 matches in this tournament, they have conceded the first goal 19 times and have only won 1 result.
The good final part of the championship was practically worth the maintenance of Reading in the English second division, since he has 13 goals of advantage in the difference of goals over Rotherham, which is the first team in the relegation zone. We remember that the visitors no longer lose four consecutive days, being that in the last game they drew 0-0 against West Bromwich. The visiting team presents an unattractive style of play for the general public, benefiting the defensive organization and the in-depth passes for the attack. On an individual level we highlight Yakou Meité, this being the best score in Reading, with 12 goals scored. For this trip to the Middlesbrough arena, the visiting coach can not count on McShane, Swift and Obita, all with physical problems.
