The Championship is back and what looks to be the most fascinating part of the run in is down at the bottom. This season, the relegation fight has been one that has involved many teams, and with just nine games to go, eight teams are still in the thick of it.
One of those is Middlesbrough, currently sat in 19th on 41 points, just two above Charlton who occupy the last relegation spot.
Key Games Remaining for Middlesbrough
Of the nine games left, two stand out as being huge and those are the second and third games played, so a good start is imperative.
On June 27, Middlesbrough travel to Stoke, a club who are two places and one point ahead of Boro as we head into the restart. Then five days later, another huge away game beckons with a trip to Hull. They are level on points with Middlesbrough as we return and are the team who struggled before the break for any kind of form.
Six points from these games would stand Boro in good stead, but none would be a complete disaster. It is games like these two that are going to be incredibly popular with both viewers and gamblers who bet on the Championship. With football returning, there are many online betting offers available for punters to use while betting.
Who are the Dangers to Middlesbrough?
With so many teams in the hunt, this is going to be fascinating and the relegation picture will change every time games are played. Predicting how teams will play after the break is tough, but form prior to the break is all we really have to go on.
The form team prior to the break was Wigan, who are currently level on points with Middlesbrough. Wigan are unbeaten in six and have lost just one of their last nine, if they keep picking up points like that then they will comfortably avoid relegation.
Above Middlesbrough, teams were also playing well. Stoke went unbeaten in their last four games while Huddersfield won two of their last three. These two teams are just one point ahead of Middlesbrough.
This shows the kind of quality that is needed to stay clear of the drop zone, plenty of teams down there have the ability to string positive results together. Keeping up to date with local sports news will be something that fans are doing a lot over the coming weeks, to make sure no key injuries occur.
Reasons to be Optimistic
While this will not be easy, there are reasons why Middlesbrough fans should be hopeful. Firstly, both Barnsley and Luton, who are the two bottom clubs, have shown they lack the quality needed to compete in the Championship all season long.
These are two teams who also lack experience in the league too, something that Middlesbrough do have. If Barnsley and Luton go down, then there are six clubs with five of them surviving and just one going down. That stacks the odds in Middlesbrough’s favour, and if they get wins in those key games against Stoke and Hull then they are not only building points but also harming the chances of their rivals.
The situation is very precarious, but there is reason to believe that Middlesbrough can survive this season and then use the summer to try and fix the problems that landed them in the relegation battle to begin with.