Side by side heading into the weekend, Middlesbrough are in 10th in the standings and Bristol City are below them in 11th. But while Bristol City are where I expected, Middlesbrough are below expectations, and that's despite a really strong recent run, they're still trying to make up for the dreadful start they had.
Bristol City Form GuideBased on what we've seen so far from Bristol City, they're on course to be as good as I expected, maybe perhaps a little better, but not by much. They have six wins from 16 games, and have an even record recently, where they've won two, lost two and drawn one of their last five games.
They come here on the back of a draw, although given who they played, City may be a little disappointed with that. They drew 0-0 away at QPR, and scoring in that game was a problem, overall it's been a problem too. They've scored just once in their last four games, and if Bristol City want to improve, that's something they need to fix.
Middlesbrough Form GuideNot too long ago, Middlesbrough were the biggest disappointment in the league, in the relegation zone despite being amongst the favourites for promotion at the start. A great run of wins put them back on track to a certain extent, but they're still behind my expectations, though come into the weekend just two points off the playoff positions.
Before the international break, Boro recorded a big win over current league leaders Leicester, beating them 1-0 in a tight game. Before that, they drew 3-3 away at Plymouth, in a game that was end to end with plenty of drama, though Boro couldn't quite get the win.
Match PredictionWhile both teams are side by side in the league, the potential to go onto bigger and better things certainly sits with Middlesbrough, and they are my pick to win this game. On the up, I think there's more to come, and that can start by picking up three points here.