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Middlesbrough vs Manchester United – Match Preview

Today offers up a Premier League triple bill and our first port of call is The Riverside Stadium as Middlesbrough play host to Manchester United but they do so without former Real Madrid defender Aitor Karanka in charge of the club after his sacking earlier in the week.

Club chairman Steve Gibson has a track record of sticking by managers but with Boro’s slide going further down the table and an ever longer goal drought becoming more of a concern it was felt that they like so many other clubs around them will have to roll the dice if they are to have any hope of staying up this season.

Former ‘Boro player Steve Agnew will be tasked with being in charge for Today’s visit of Manchester United and the first thing he has to do is make sure that his players can rediscover the ability to score a goal. The Premier League’s lowest goalscorers have just 19 at this point of the season and if that ratio was to be extended throughout the season they would be looking at just a paltry 25 goals. Relegation form in anyone’s book.

They have not scored in any of their last four league matches and it was only a stubborn resistance at home to Everton last month which meant they have picked up a solitary point in those run of fixtures, it has been incredibly bleak for Boro fans as of late.

Quite simply the opposition knows that they once they go ahead then it is job done as there is no goal threat being thrown them and that is something that has to change if they are to beat the drop. They are 5 points from safety but do have two games in hand, winning those games would see them out of the bottom three but that is easier said than done.

That’s because today they face a Manchester United side who have not lost in the Premier League since October, it’s quite an incredible run but one that has now seen them slip down to 7th after Everton’s impressive run of form has seen them leapfrog Jose Mourinho’s side.

But United do have three games in hand over Ronald Koeman’s men and they also know that a win Today would see them leapfrog not just them but Arsenal also and see them move up to 5th. Should they win they will then hope that their cross town rivals Manchester City do them a favour later on beat Liverpool to blow the race for 4th wide open.

United have been busy in cup competition as of late, although their participation in the F.A. Cup has come to and end after the defeat to Chelsea on Monday night. They went into that game with a shortage of strikers due to injury and suspension and they will more than likely face the same problems this Lunchtime.

Marcus Rashford was started on Monday but failed to really grab a hold on the game as a 10 men United side were bested by N’Golo Kante’s second half strike. They were down to 10 men due to a sending off to Ander Herrera and he like Zlatan Ibrahimovic will miss the game through suspension.

Thursday’s cup outing fared better as they edged past FC Rostov in the Europa League to advance to the Quarter Finals where they will now face Anderlecht. Juan Mata’s goal was the difference as the Russian resistance was finally broken at Old Trafford.

You would imagine Middlesbrough are going to have to offer some form of resistance, to have any chance of getting anything they need to get ahead but even with the new manager bounce I can’t see them getting anything out of this encounter. United win for me as they move up to 5th and their hopes of Champions League football next season increase.

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