Huddersfield v Middlesbrough Preview

Aitor Karanka is adamant that the league is Middlesbrough’s main aim this season despite having a Capital One Cup quarter final against Everton next Tuesday.

Boro travel to Huddersfield this Saturday placed third in the league, following the Teessider’s dramatic victory QPR last weekend.

Karanka expressed that he was really pleased with the performance and attitude shown by his players in that game, that despite not recording a shot on target until Grant Leadbitter’s stoppage time penalty.

It was also a late Leadbitter penalty which proved the difference between the sides when Boro visited the John Smith’s Stadium.

Huddersfield have found results difficult to come by at the start of this campaign and are only out of the relegation zone on goal difference.

They recently appointed ex Borussia Dortmund coach David Wagner as their new head coach, but since his unveiling The Terriers have lost to both Leeds and Sheffield Wednesday.

Team News

Boro are without their captain Leadbitter, who picked up his fifth booking of the season against QPR, so is therefore suspended.

Adam Forshaw remains side-lined with an ankle injury while Fernando Amorebieta has just come back from a hamstring problem. Christain Stuani looks like he has returned to full fitness and played 20 minutes last weekend.

Former Boro striker Ishmael Miller (groin) and Joel Lynch (hamstring) are both ‘huge doubts’ for Huddersfield according to the clubs website. Forward Harry Bunn is suspended after receiving his fifth yellow card of the season against Sheffield Wednesday, while Mustapha Carayol is ineligible to play against his parent club.

Stats and Facts

Huddsefield have won just one of their last 12 matches against Boro dating back to 1986, their one victory came at the John Smith’s Stadium in 2013.

Boro did the double over The Terriers last season, winning 2-0 at the Riverside and 2-1 away from home.

On each of the last six occasions when Boro have scored more than once against Huddersfield, one player has struck twice (Lee Tomlin, Grant Leadbitter, Albert Adomah, Scott McDonald, Mikkel Beck and Fabrizio Ravanelli) (BBC Sport)

Key Players

Boro’s Key

Adam Clayton

Boro's Adam Clayton
(Picture from www.mfc.co.uk)

A recent supporter’s survey, done by Middlesbrough’s Gazette, showed just how important Clayton has been for Boro this season. The poll asked ‘who has been Boro’s best player so far this season’ and there were two players who dominated the vote, with Clayton and Daniel Ayala scoring 33.5% and 48.5% respectively. Clayton, who played for Huddersfield up until the summer of 2014, has been the heart of Boro’s midfield by protecting the back four and starting attacks. He will be without regular midfield partner Grant Leadbitter for this game so will have to adapt against his former club.

One To Watch   

Emyr Huws

Huddersfield's Emyr Huws
(Picture from cdn.images.express.co.uk) 

Boro fans may remember the cracker Huws scored against the Teessiders when playing for Birmingham two seasons ago. The Welsh international has a strong shot from distance and is Huddersfield’s joint top scorer with four this season. The midfield battle should be an interesting one to watch with Huws and ex Boro midfielder Dean Whitehead potentially coming up against Clayton and Bruno Zuculini   

Form

Huddersfield

Sheffield Wednesday 3-1 L

Leeds 0-3 L

Reading 2-2 D

Burnley 2-1 L

Derby 1-2 L

Middlesbrough

QPR 1-0 W

Hull 3-0 L

Rotherham 1-0 W

Charlton 3-0 W

Manchester United 0-0 [1-3 on penalties] (Capital One Cup) W

Prediction

Huddersfield 0 Middlesbrough 2

Huddersfield are low on confidence at the moment and haven’t won in the league for five games. As long as Boro don’t become distracted by their Capital One Cup quarter final, they should have enough quality to take all three points.  

Late Penalty From Leadbitter Moves Boro Up To Third

Middlesbrough    1        QPR    0

                                            Leadbitter 90+4

A game a low quality was decided by a penalty brimming with confidence, as Middlesbrough moved to within a point of Championship summit.

Grant Leadbitter converted the all-important spot kick in the fourth minute of stoppage time, as Boro beat Queens Park Rangers at the Riverside Stadium.

Grant Leadbitter after scoring the late penalty
(Picture from sport.bt.com)

It was awarded when Leroy Fer handled the ball inside the area and was subsequently sent off for preventing a goal scoring opportunity.

The visitors, who missed caretaker manager Neil Warnoick due to personal reasons, had defended well throughout the contest and even created the better chances on the break.

Boro may have dominated possession but hadn’t recorded a shot on target before Leadbitter snatched the points from 12 yards late on.

The look on Aitor Karanka’s face at the full time whistle said it all, it was the expression of a relieved man and he knew it.

After last season’s play-off heartbreak many fans on Teesside are still unsure how to view the start of this campaign.

There is a general feeling that the football could be better and at times the passing is a bit pedestrian. Even so Karanka’s men have a tendency to grind out results and are sitting a more than respectable third in the league.

In contrast Rangers are without are without a win in four and slip further in to the clutches of mid-table mediocrity after this latest defeat.

They were without their talisman Charlie Austin for this encounter and Kevin Blackwell, who took charge in Warnock’s absence, made two changes from the side which drew with Preston before the international break.

Junior Hoilett was also missing as neither he nor Austin even made the bench. Their replacements were Yun Suk-Young and James Perch who started on the left wing and at left back respectively.

Karanka had said before this game that Boro’s defeat to Hull in their previous game already felt like it was “months ago”. The Boro side showed three changes from the team which started that game as Leadbitter returned in midfield while Ben Gibson and Emilio Nsue came back into the defence.

Boro have lost just once at the Riverside this season but it was the visitors who registered the first shot when Paul Konchesky’s effort deflected into the hands of goalkeeper Dimi Konstantopulos.

The hosts saw most of the ball in the early exchanges but the passing often lacked intensity, as players took 3 or 4 touches on the ball while QPR defended in numbers. 

The visitors did pose a threat on the counter attack and the likes of Fer and forward Matt Phillips were involved in some slick passing moves which Boro’s defence did well to stub out.

Upfront, David Nugent was working hard on his own and received little support. After 20 minutes he had an effort blocked by Nedum Onuoha after a lovely pass from Adam Clayton, moments later he flicked Albert Adomah’s low cross from the right across Rob Green’s goal but the ball rebounded off the inside of the post.

Ranger’s best effort came after 35 minutes when Leadbitter got caught in possession and conceded a free kick on the edge of his own box. From the resulting free kick Alejandro Faurlin curled a shot/cross towards goal which Konstantouplos beat away with his fists.

The hosts then went close as Diego Fabbrini flashed a shot wide just before the break. Rangers went closer still when Faurlin’s shot was cleared off the line by Gibson before Konstantopulos saved the rebound from Fer.

But as the match wore on it was Boro who looked the most likely to clinch a winner. Both George Friend and Stewart Downing tried their luck but both efforts were just off target.

Karanka introduced Christain Stuani, who hasn’t featured for over a month after picking up an injury while playing for Uruguay, and Kike as his side pushed for a winner.

After a late spell of dominance it finally came when Daniel Ayala’s acrobatic overhead kick from a corner appeared to be heading in but was blocked on the line by the arm of Fer.

Referee Christopher Kavanagh therefore had no choice but to send the player off and award a penalty, which Laedbitter calmly side footed home sending Green the wrong way in the process.

Player Ratings  

Dimi Konstantopulos   7- Made a couple of important saves at key moments

Emilio Nsue   6.5 - Provided good outlet from right back

Daniel Ayala   7- Read the game well and stopped any danger

Ben Gibson   6.5 - Settled back into the side well after missing out at Hull

George Friend   6 - Gave the ball away on a couple of occasions in the first half

Grant Leadbitter   6.5- Reliable as ever from the penalty spot, tried to break forward from midfield when he could

Adam Clayton   7- Made a couple of good passes forward while seeing out his regular duty of protecting job in front of the back four

Albert Adomah   5- Went missing for large parts of the game, rarely took a player on

Stewart Downing   7- Picked up the ball in some good areas after the break and looked like Boro’s most creative player

Diego Fabbrini   5.5- Held on to the ball for too long at times and often ended up being brought down

David Nugent   6- Chased down defenders but didn’t have the support to make it effective

Subs

Christian Stuani   6 – Came on with 28 minutes to go, will be happy to be back after a lengthy absence

Kike – Came on with 13 minutes to go unfair to give a fair rating

My Boro Man Of The Match : Adam Clayton

Middlesbrough v QPR Preview

Middlesbrough manager Aitor Karanka said his sides defeat to Hull City before the international break feels like it was “months ago” and stated he remains confident that he has an “amazing squad”.

The Boro boss revealed that striker Christian Stuani is still doubtful for today’s game with QPR, after he went away with Uruguay on international duty but didn’t play.

Karanka went on to say the forward would have been available if he had stayed on Teesside to receive treatment on a hamstring issue and claimed that was the original plan.  

Boro will be hoping to put pressure on the teams ahead of them at the top of the table by winning the Friday night fixture at the Riverside.

QPR recently sacked Chris Ramsey and have appointed Neil Warnock as caretaker manager on a short term basis. Rangers are currently 13^th in the league, eight points off a play-off spot.

Team News

When asked about Stuani on Thursday, Karanka said he hadn’t spoke to the Uruguayan forward after he went away during the international break and the Spaniard was unsure on his fitness.

The Boro boss did confirm that defender Fernando Amoribieta would miss the game after picking up an injury at Hull a fortnight ago.

In contrast Rangers haven’t reported any new injury problems ahead of the game, though Massimo Luongo has been away with Australia so could miss out.

Stats and Facts  

Boro have lost their last 4 league games against QPR, the last meeting came at the Riverside in 2014 where Rangers won 3-1 after goals from Yossi Benayoun, Ravel Morrison and Bobby Zamora.

Boro have 30 points after 16 games this season, which is the same total as what they had at this stage last campaign.

Stewart Downing has created more goal scoring chances for Boro than any other player this season (33) (BBC Sport)

Key Players

Boro’s Key

Stewart Downing

Boro's Stewart Downing
(Picture from images.cdn.fourfourtwo.com)

Boro’s marquee signing was dropped for the away trip to Wolves last month but has come back stronger than ever adding more goals and assists to his game. He subsequently came off the bench to score a free kick at Molineux and then scored the only goal of the game in Boro’s victory over Rotherham. If Boro are to get promoted they can’t just rely on goals from their forwards, and players like Downing will have to chip in. He will also be expected to create opportunities for others especially at home.

One To Watch

Charlie Austin

QPR's Charlie Austin
(Picture from i.telegraph.co.uk)

After a summer of speculation the potent striker decided to stay at QPR and started the season in red hot form. He is their top scorer with 7 goals but he hasn’t scored since September due to a hamstring injury which kept him side-lined for around a month. Austin has started Rangers’ last two games and begun to find full fitness again. A two week break will have given him the perfect opportunity to recover and there is no doubt that he will be the one to watch.    

Form

Middlesbrough

Hull City 3-0 L

Rotherham 1-0 W

Charlton 3-0 W

Manchester United 0-0 [1-3 on penalties] (Capital One Cup)W

Wolves 1-3 W

QPR

Preston 0-0 D

Derby 1-0 L

Brentford 1-0 L

MK Dons 3-0 W

Sheffield Wednesday 0-0 D

Prediction

Middlesbrough 3 QPR 1

In the past couple of games teams who have visited the Riverside have lacked quality and come simply to defend away from home. With the likes of Austin, Matt Phillips and Junior Hoilett in their ranks I expect QPR to have more of a go which should make for a more open game. This should allow Boro’s more creative players like Downing and Albert Adomah to get to the ball so I’m going for a 3-1 win for Boro.

Hull v Middlesbrough Preview

 Two of the Championship’s in form sides will go head to head this Saturday as Hull take Middlesbrough at the KC Stadium. The hosts begin the weekend at the top of the table after winning their last four games, however there is only one point separating the top five teams in the division. Aitor Karanka’s Boro are one of those sides after three successive league victories and would move ahead of their hosts with a win on Saturday.

In his pre-match press conference the Boro manager was complementary about his opposite number Steve Bruce stating that the Hull boss was a “very good manager with a lot of experience”. He went on to say that Hull “are one of the better teams in the division”. The match up will also see Boro’s assistant coach Steve Agnew return to Hull where he was the assistant manager this time year.

Bruce was equally respectful when commenting on the Teesiders saying “you have to pay a big complement to Steve Gibson in the way he has run the club over the years”. Even so you can expect the pre-match flattery to go up of the window when the sides lock horns on the pitch at 3 o’clock.

Team News

Hull will be without the centre backs Alex Bruce and Curtis Davies, who are both side-lined with injuries. Bruce was forced off with a hamstring problem in the 2-0 victory over Brenford on Tuesday night, while Davis is stilling unable to play due to a hamstring injury he picked up last month.  Sone Aluko and Adama Diomande also remain out after lengthy injury spells.

The visitors will miss Uruguayan forward Christian Stuani for the seventh game in succession; the striker sustained a double hamstring tear when playing for his country in the last international break, although Karanka has hinted he may return soon. Adam Forshaw still has an ankle issue so will also miss the trip.

Stats and Facts

The last time the sides met at the KC Stadium in 2013, Hull won by a goal to nil thanks to a Robbie Brady free kick.

Boro last won at Hull in April 2011 when they recorded a 4-2 victory and Scott McDonald scored a hat-trick.

Both sides have best goal differences in the league so far with +15; the next best is Derby with +11.

Hull haven’t lost at home this season, winning five and drawing two.

Adam Clayton
(Picture from www.thenorthernecho.co.uk) 

Key Players

Boro’s Key

Adam Clayton

Clayton has been one of Boro’s standout performers this campaign and will be need to be on his game if Boro are to get anything from the match. The former Huddersfield midfielder provides valuable protection to Boro’s backline alongside captain Grant Leadbitter; he often makes important tackles and last minutes interceptions on the edge of his box to stop the opposition advancing. Clayton rarely gets forward which can occasionally be an issue when Boro are at home against sides near the bottom of the league. However his style of play is well suited to tough away games, like this weekend, where he can sit deep and allow his team to break on the counter attack.  

One To Watch

Ahmed Elmohamady
(Picture from www4.pictures.zimbio.com)

Ahmed Elmohamady

After signing permanently from Sunderland in 2013, Elmohamady has become a key part of the Hull team despite only scoring six goals. The Egyptian was part of the Hull side which were promoted in 2013 and has experience at this level. Elmohamady is renowned for his accurate crossing and has claimed a number of assists over his career. He will probably start the game on the right of midfield in a 4-4-2 formation and will come up against Boro’s left back George Friend. The visitors will have to make sure they stop the supply from Elmohamady, if not his deliveries to the likes of Hull striker Abel Hernandez could be decisive.

Form

Hull

Brentford 0-2 W

MK Dons 0-2 W

Leicester 1-1 – [5-4 on penalties] W (Capital One Cup)

Birmingham 2-0 W

Ipswich 3-0 W

Middlesbrough

Rotherham 1-0 W

Charlton 3-0 W

Manchester United 0-0 – [1-3 on penalties] W (Capital One Cup)

Wolves 1-3 W

Cardiff 1-0 L

Prediction

Hull 1 Middlesbrough 1

With the home advantage, Hull go into this match as slight favourites and will be expected to extend their good run of form. Boro will set up to be difficult to beat and break on the counter attack, which suits Aitor Karanka’s style of play. Hull and Boro have the best defences in the league this season so I expect a tight game and am going for a draw.

Downing Delivers As Boro Beat Rotherham

Middlesbrough    1        Rotherham    0

                                   Downing 16

It was the sort of chance which Stewart Downing must have craved when he returned to Middlesbrough this summer. Sixteen minutes had gone when the former England international pounced on to a loose pass from Rotherham’s Grant Ward and charged towards goal.

Stewart Downing celebrates the only goal of the game
(Picture from i2.gazettelive.co.uk)

When he arrived in the box he calmly slotted a left foot shot past keeper Lee Camp. It was the type of match winning contribution which Boro supporters eagerly anticipated when he finally put pen to paper on a 5-year-deal.

After that the home fans could have been forgiven for expecting a few more goals against a Rotherham side planted to the bottom of the Championship table. In the end the single goal was all that separated the two sides in dwindling Tuesday night encounter.

It was to Rotherham’s credit that the score line remained close and the visitors certainly showed more ambition than the Charlton side who visited the Riverside on Saturday. Even so they lacked the killer punch in the final third and never posed a consistent threat.

Boro, who remain 4th in the division after their third successive victory, were far from top gear in a match they were strongly expected to win. After making 4 changes from Saturday’s victory, Aitor Karanka would have been as relieved as anyone to see his team stagger over the line.

The most significant alterations came in defence as Daniel Ayala and Ben Gibson were left on the bench. Both had played 120 minutes in the Capital One Cup tie at Manchester United so it wasn’t a huge surprise that Tomas Kalas and Fernando Amorebieta started the game as the 2 centre backs.

Further forward Grant Leadbitter retook the captain’s armband after missing the victory over Charlton. He was joined by Carlos De Pena, as Diego Fabbrini and Bruno Zuculini dropped to the bench.

After a 3-0 defeat to Derby Neil Redfern made five changes to his Rotherham side, as former Boro player Richard Smallwood had to settle for a place on the bench. Full back Frazer Richardson, who also spent a short spell at Boro, was one of the players to return along with Tony Andreu, Farrend Rawson, Tom Thorpe and Paul Green.

Coming into the match the visitors had the worst defensive record in the division after conceding 27 goals in 14 games.  They nearly fell behind after just 7 minutes here when Albert Adomah tried his luck from the edge of the box, but his low shot was comfortably saved.

Rotherham showed more ambition in the opening exchanges than what Charlton had displayed in the entire 90 minutes on Saturday. However that proved to be part of their downfall with 16 minutes gone.

Grant Ward’s careless pass inside his own half set up Downing who had space to manoeuvre. There were defenders in pursuit but that wasn’t enough to stop him, as he charged into the penalty area before firing a low shot across goal. Camp could only watch as it nestled into the bottom corner of the net.

The hosts had opportunities to extend their lead; Downing turned provider when he delivered an inviting cross for Carlos De Pena but the Uruguayan’s header rebounded off the crossbar.  

Downing was involved again when his cross from the right bypassed the few players in the Rotherham box. It was then hooked back across goal by Friend, from the opposite wing, however Adomah blazed his effort over the bar.

Despite their intentions Rotherham created few chances; their only shot on target came on the stroke of half time when Green’s shot was hit straight at Dimi Konstantopulos.

After the break Boro continued to create opportunities but lacked a cutting edge or the hunger to put the game to bed. At times they simply invited pressure as the visitors remained in contention.

A second goal would surely have put an end to that, and the hosts did produce openings to extend their lead. However De Pena headed over the bar after another Downing cross, while David Nugent shot over the bar from close range.

Boro were nearly made to rue those misses with 9 minutes to go when Amorebieta was caught dawdling on the ball and was dispossessed by substitute Jordan Bowery. The Venezuelan defender must have been the most relieved man in the stadium when Bowery cannoned his shot into the side netting when bearing down on goal.

Even after that close encounter, Boro could have moved further ahead. Friend hit the post after an overlapping run, before substitute Diego Fabbrini cleared the bar from inside the area.

No classic by any means but a win nonetheless for Karanka and his team who will now prepare for a trip to top of the table Hull on Saturday.

Player Ratings

Dimi Konstantopulos   6- Had very little to do, only faced one shot on target

Emilio Nsue   6.5- Got forward and delivered some decent crosses early on

Tomas Kalas   6- Defended well enough, at times his distribution was a little sloppy

Fernando Amorebieta   6- Was having a comfortable game until complacent error nearly cost his team

George Friend   6.5 - Made some decent runs to provide an outlet from full back

Grant Leadbitter   6- Kept possession but struggled to create much going forward

Adam Clayton   7- Comfortable on the ball and broke up play in midfield

Albert Adomah   6- Had more of a go at players in the second half, crossing let him down at times

Carlos De Pena   6.5- Got into some decent positions on the wing and arrived in the box on occasions.

Stewart Downing   7.5- Got the winner and was Boro’s most creative player all game

David Nugent   5.5- Roamed around upfront but had little impact on the game

Subs

Bruno Zuculini   6- Came on for the last 25 minutes and tightened up midfield

Diego Fabbrini- Came on for the last 11 minutes, not enough time to give a fair rating

My Boro Man Of The Match: Stewart Downing

Middlesbrough v Rotherham Preview

Middlesbrough’s victory over Charlton on Saturday was “almost a perfect game” according to manager Aitor Karanka, after his side picked up no injuries or suspensions ahead of tonight’s match against bottom of the table Rotherham. Boro may be 4^th in the Championship and still on a high after knocking Manchester United out of the Capital One Cup; however Karanka was keen not to get too carried away and the Spaniard claimed he was expecting a “difficult game”

The Millers are still without a win under recently appointed manager Neil Redfearn, who will take charge of his fifth game tonight. His side haven’t won since the end of September and will enter the match following a 3-0 defeat away to Derby.

Team News

As Karanka said in his pre-match press conference Boro have no new injury concerns. Even so the Boro boss did confirm he will still be without forward Christian Stuani and midfielder Adam Forshaw who are missing with hamstring and ankle injuries respectively. Captain Grant Leadbitter and George Friend were both rested at the weekend so are likely to return.

Rotherham striker Matt Derbyshire missed the defeat to Derby with a calf injury but could be available for the trip to the Riverside. Defender Farrend Rawson and midfielder Lee Frecklington were also out injured at the weekend but have since returned to training.

Stats and Facts

Last season Boro did the double over Rotherham winning 2-0 at the Riverside and 3-0 at the New York Stadium.

Boro have the best goal difference in the league with +14, Hull have the 2^nd best with +13, Rotherham have the second worst in the division with -12.

Rotherham haven’t scored against Boro in the last 3 meetings between the sides.

Key Players

Boro’s Key

Albert Adomah

Boro's Albert Adomah
(Picture from i.guim.co.uk)

Last season only Patrick Bamford and Grant Leadbitter scored 10 or more goals for Boro, as they fell short of promotion. The Teesiders may have added strikers like David Nugent and Christian Stuani to the squad over the summer, even so if they want sustain a strong promotion challenge they will need more goals to come from midfield. Adomah scored his second league goal of the season on Saturday should aim to add more in games to come.

One To Watch

Danny Collins

Rotherham's Danny Collins
(Picture from www.thestar.co.uk)

The former Sunderland and Stoke defender signed for Rotherham on a free transfer this summer and has played all 14 of the Millers’ league games this campaign. At 35 Collins is not the most mobile defender in the division and his lack of pace could be exposed, however his vast experience could be vital if his side are to take anything from the game. This season teams near the bottom of the league have come to the Riverside and piled men behind the ball in the hope of keeping a clean sheet. Rotherham are likely to the same so it could be down to Collins to stay disciplined and organize the visitors’ backline.      

Form

Middlesbrough

Charlton 3-0 W

Manchester United 0-0 [1-3 on penalties] W (Capital One Cup)

Wolves 1-3 W

Cardiff 0-1 L

Fulham 0-0 D

Rotherham

Derby 3-0 L

Sheffield Wednesday 1-2 L

Reading 1-1 D

Brentford 2-1 L

Burnley 1-2 L

Prediction

Middlesbrough 2 Rotherham 0

Neil Redfearn will be hoping for a response from his players after a 3-0 defeat to Derby. It is therefore likely that he will set his team up to defend and frustrate Boro at the Riverside. Even so the Millers have conceded 27 goals this season which is the highest in the division. If Boro score early then the game could quickly run away from Rotherham. However it the visitors are allowed to settle they could prove a tough nut to crack.