• Written by Michael Knight
• Categories Football

This weekend, two of the more interesting sides in the Championship this year take on each other. Relegated Middlesbrough are taking on Leeds up at Elland Road, with a feisty Sunday fixture ahead.

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Both sides have impressed at times this season, though a rather dour run of four losses on the spin has rocked Leeds and their optimism for the year to come. If they are to get back on track, though, now is the time. Faith is beginning to waver a little in the 2017-18 Leeds side, so they’d do well to get over this sharpish.

LEEDS NEWS
Leeds come into this one on a very poor run of form, with 5 losses in 6 games and a solitary win. While the likes of Pierre-Michel Lasogga and Samuel Saiz have impressed so far this year, there’s been a big drop-off in other performers. Liam Cooper and Pontus Jansson are still relatively solid at the back, and the impressive Kalvin Phillips is sure to make a difference.

However, Leeds have suffered all season from mediocre aerial performances and against a team as big and as brutish as Boro, it’s hard to see them being too assertive. They are arguably the better football, team, though, and if they draw ex-manager Garry Monk into a football match rather than a battle, they’ve got a good chance.

How to Watch Leeds v Middlesborough live stream (click here)

BORO NEWS
Three wins on the spin for Boro means that they arrive here in good form and high spirits. They won the Tee-Wear derby before the international break, and so arrive here in positive form and in fine fettle. 21 goals in 16 games does not say much for their attacking flair, though, which is a bit of an issue.

Still, players like Cyrus Christie and Daniel Ayala offer plenty of strength at the back, while the pace of Adama Traore and the power of Rudy Gestede up front means that they can be relied upon to do a bit of damage here. Ex-Leeds boy Jonny Howson sits in the middle of the park, too, and we reckon he’ll have a big part to play if Boro are to exploit a Leeds team who aren’t often as up for the fight as you would expect.

HEAD-TO-HEAD
While games are few and far between among two teams that used to play each other on a regular basis, the last five years has seen a mere two wins for the away side. Their last two wins came at the Riverside, too, meaning Leeds should feel pretty good about a potential win here. The teams last played in the 2015/16 season, when Boro won 3-0 at home and drew 0-0 up at Elland Road.

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MATCH EXPECTATIONS
We aren’t really sure what to expect at present. Both sides are somewhat in the play-off race, with just two points between them. A win for Boro would leave Leeds probably looking a little nervously at their festive fixtures knowing they could lose a lot of ground.

Meanwhile, Boro knows that a loss would mean probably dropping out of the playoffs for the weekend. We expect a hard-fought match, but anticipate it will be a score draw.