Middlesbrough are set to welcome Preston North End to the Riverside Stadium this weekend.
The Teessiders have had a mixed start to the 2024/25 Championship campaign under Michael Carrick.
Middlesbrough have won two, lost one and drawn one of their opening four fixtures so far this term, leaving them seventh in the Championship table going into the weekend’s action.
| Position | Team | PlayedMP | WonW | DrawnD | LostL | ForGF | AgainstGA | DiffGD | PointsPts |
| 5 |  BlackburnBlackburn | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 8 |
| 6 |  BurnleyBurnley | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 7 |
| 7 |  MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 7 |
| 8 |  Sheff UtdSheffield Utd | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 9 |  Oxford UnitedOxford United | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 6 |
After failing to win a single one of their opening five games in the 2023/24 campaign, two from four this time around is a massive improvement.
Now, with another fairly winnable clash on the horizon, Carrick will be aiming to break into the play-off places for the first time this season.
Preston North End have been poor in the early stages of 2024/25 and currently sit 21st in the table with three points accumulated.
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Middlesbrough unwanted record vs Preston North End
With Paul Heckingbottom’s side struggling to click this term, Middlesbrough have been predicted to beat Preston.
However, if Carrick is to guide his side to their third win of the season, Boro will have to end an unwanted 56-year record.
The two clubs have faced off on 109 occasions throughout their history, with the Teessiders winning on 49 occasions.
However, Middlesbrough have not beaten the Lilywhites at home on three consecutive occasions since 1968.
The last two fixtures at the Riverside Stadium have both seen Boro pick up 4-0 wins though, meaning three points on Saturday would end that unwanted 56-year record.
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What Middlesbrough must do to beat Preston North End
On paper, Boro should be able to see off Preston with relative ease this weekend.
But as the loss to Derby County and draw with Portsmouth have already shown this term, Carrick’s men can often struggle when playing against weaker teams who sit back and do not let Middlesbrough counter – something they are very good at.
In turn, Carrick may have to change up his starting line-up for the weekend’s game, with a heavy focus on creative players.
Riley McGree has returned from injury this week but the Australian lacks the creative flair of other forwards such as Micah Hamilton and deadline-day addition, Ben Doak.
So, with Preston expected to sit very deep for much of the 90 minutes, players like Doak, Hamilton and Conway should come into the team ahead of McGree and Isaiah Jones