Middlesbrough are now just a few days away from getting their Championship campaign underway.
Michael Carrick is aiming to return Boro to the Premier League at the third time of asking.
Middlesbrough finished fourth during the ex-Manchester United star’s first season at the Riverside Stadium.
This was followed by an eighth-place finish in the 2023/24 Championship campaign, with Boro four points outside the play-off places.
Expectations are high on Teesside this summer, however, after an unbeaten pre-season and a run of one loss in 12 at the back end of last term.
Middlesbrough’s promotion chances have also been boosted by the fact they are yet to sell any key players in the current window – a big issue for the club in 2023.
Moreover, the North East outfit have made three first-team signings this summer, all of which were brought in ahead of pre-season.
This should have given Aidan Morris and Delano Burgzorg plenty of time to embed themselves in Carrick’s team, ahead of their season opener.
Middlesbrough vs Swansea City score prediction
Middlesbrough face Swansea City on Saturday, August 10th, at 12:30pm BST at the Riverside.
Swans manager Luke Williams joined the club in January 2024, meaning he and Carrick faced off on one occasion last season.
The clash was also at the Riverside and saw Emmanuel Latte Lath net two goals as Middlesbrough picked up a 2-0 win on April 6th.
Now, EFL pundit Sam Parkin has shared his score prediction for Boro’s upcoming meeting with the Welsh side.
Speaking on The Championship Check-In podcast, Parkin backed Middlesbrough to come away with a 3-1 win.
He said: “They beat them 2-0 in April, Latte Lath got a couple of goals and I quite like that symmetry.
“I will go for Swansea to get one then and I will go for a 3-1 Middlesbrough win.”
Why Swansea game is crucial to Middlesbrough 2024/25 season
On paper, Middlesbrough should be able to pick up a win over Williams’ men with relative ease.
Swansea finished 14th in the Championship last season and their summer business has not been great.
The Swans still need to make several more signings after losing 13 players over the last few months.
However, Boro fans will be well aware that their team have struggled against weaker opposition in the past.
Middlesbrough failed to beat now-League One side Rotherham United twice in 2023/24.
But one of the biggest issues for Middlesbrough last term was their awful start.
Carrick and co. failed to win their opening five league games and secured just two points in their first seven matches.
This derailed any real chance of a promotion push despite the club’s superb end to the campaign.
In turn, it is imperative Middlesbrough kick off the 2024/25 Championship season by picking up three points against Swansea.
The Teessiders then have a few more ‘easy’ matches on the horizon against newly-promoted duo Derby County and Portsmouth.