MATCH THREAD: “ MIDDLESBOROUGH v CARDIFF CITY " MATCH THREAD

MIDDLESBOROUGH v CARDIFF CITY
Saturday 18th July, 3pm
Sky Bet Championship
Riverside Stadium 



TEAM NEWS

Cardiff City: Smithies; Bacuna, Morrison, Nelson, Bennett; Vaulks, Ralls; Mendez-Laing, Tomlin, Hoilett; Glatzel


Subs: Etheridge, Sanderson, Flint, Bamba, Smith, Pack, Murphy, Paterson, Ward.


Match to be played in front of no supporters, for information on how to watch the match on TV or to stream it - see below

NEIL HARRIS V NEIL WARNOCK

UPDATED 18/07/20

What's the team news

Cardiff City will be made to sweat on the fitness of Lee Tomlin once again, with the player having not trained on Thursday.

The playmaker made his first start since February against Derby County on Tuesday night, during which he dispossessed Wayne Rooney before scoring the winner.

But Neil Harris said in his Thursday afternoon press conference that the player had not trained since the victory over Derby and they would have to assess his fitness on the eve of the Boro clash.

"He has not trained, so we will have to see how he is tomorrow, that’s my honest assessment," Harris said of Tomlin.

"He is a lad with a big heart and a big desire to play in this game.

"Barring Lee there are a few knocks and niggles but barring that we are in pretty good health."

Isaac Vassell and Greg Cunningham are still the long-term absentees.

For Boro, there are no fresh injury concerns.

The only question mark there is whether Anfernee Dijksteel can start again, with Tuesday's win over Reading being his first start since November.

Warnock also has a decision over whether to bring Britt Assombalonga back into the side after he was rested on Tuesday night






UPDATED:

How are the squad, including Lee Tomlin?

NEIL HARRIS:

"Tommo was excellent the other night, really good. He has not trained, so we will have to see how he is tomorrow, that’s my honest assessment.

"He is a lad with a big heart and a big desire to play in this game.

"Barring Lee there are a few knocks and niggles but barring that we are in pretty good health."




CARDIFF CITY:

Neil Harris has said Cardiff City will have a fully fit squad heading into the clash with Middlesborough, with no fresh injury concerns following the win over Derby County.
Lee Tomlin is getting fitter by the match.


"My squad, players are as fit as they could be,I am happy with their fitness level."


Greg Cunningham is still a little way off at the moment.
He is back in full training with the first team.

Isaac Vassell is still out injured.




How can I watch this match on TV?

For those who are season ticket holders, you can watch the match for free on Cardiff City TV.

For non-season ticket holders who want to watch the match, you can purchase a match pass from Cardiff City TV for £10.

About Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough Football Club is a professional association football club based in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. They are currently competing in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889. The club played at the Linthorpe Road ground from 1882 to 1903 and at Ayresome Park for 92 years, from 1903 to 1995.

Middlesbrough were one of the founding members of the Premier League in 1992 and became one of the first clubs to be relegated from it following the 1992–93 season. The club came close to folding in 1986 after experiencing severe financial difficulties before it was saved by a consortium led by then board member and later chairman Steve Gibson. The club's main rivals are Sunderland, Newcastle United and Leeds United.

The club's achievements include winning the League Cup in 2004, their first and to date only major trophy, and they also reached the 2006 UEFA Cup Final, losing to Spanish club Sevilla. Their highest league finish to date was third place in the top flight in the 1913–14 season and the club have only spent two seasons outside the top two divisions of English football. The League Cup win and the UEFA Cup run was part of an 11-year consecutive stay in the Premier League, before a relegation in 2009. Although the club returned in 2016, instant relegation followed.

The club's traditional kit is red with white detailing. The home shorts and sock colours have interchangeably been shifted between red and white, complementing the red shirt that was adopted in 1899. The various crests throughout the club's history, the most recent of which was adopted in 2007, incorporate a lion rampant.

Previous Meeting 

We beat Middlesbrough 1-0 in September

Team News - Predicted Line-Ups

Middlesbrough: Pears, Spencer, Fry, Dijksteel, Friend, Johnson, Roberts, Howson, Saville, Tavernier, Fletcher

Cardiff City: Smithies, Bacuna, Nelson, Morrison, Bennett, Pack, Ralls, Tomlin, Hoilett, Mendez-Laing, Glatzel

Form - Last Three Games 

Reading 1-2 Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough 1-3 Bristol City
Millwall 0-2 Middlesbrough

Cardiff City 2-1 Derby County
Fulham 2-0 Cardiff City
Cardiff City 2-3 Blackburn Rovers

Match Odds

Middlesbrough - 6/4
Cardiff City - 19/10
Draw - 21/10

Predictions

Post your predictions below 

We all know what Warnock can do and he knows us inside out.
Draw for me 1-1.

Said a couple of weeks back,that these 2 last games were a worry,IF boro and hull need something from the games,the onus will be on us to break them down I believe.but I have gone for a city win 1-3 ,play like last night and we will be fine.

Middlesbrough need a point to guarantee safety

Warnock will set them up to go for the point and counter attack

That will suit us down to the ground but Harris will have to do something different for this which Warnock will not expect.

NEIL HARRIS V NEIL WARNOCK


CARDIFF CITY:

Neil Harris has said Cardiff City will have a fully fit squad heading into the clash with Middlesborough, with no fresh injury concerns following the win over Derby County.
Lee Tomlin is getting fitter by the match.


"My squad, players are as fit as they could be,I am happy with their fitness level."


Greg Cunningham is still a little way off at the moment.
He is back in full training with the first team.

Isaac Vassell is still out injured.

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0-2

Neil Warnock has virtually saved Boro from relegation after 3 away wins , another achievement by Warnock, Boro fans full of praise for him

Last Night

Reading 1-2 Middlesbrough
Millwall 0-2 Middlesbrough
Stoke 0-2 Middlesbrough

Their home record is awful, so hopefully 3pts for City

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We all know what Warnock can do and he knows us inside out.
Draw for me 1-1.

Spot on, he does. It's going to be tough they will be scrapping for their lives. Tough one to call!

Let’s be in the position we were the last time promoted. If we win on Saturday it will be in our hands , just like the Reading game.

Betting odds for Saturday

Middlesbrough win - 17/10

Draw - 11/5

Cardiff City win - 7/4

How are the squad, including Lee Tomlin?

NEIL HARRIS:

"Tommo was excellent the other night, really good. He has not trained, so we will have to see how he is tomorrow, that’s my honest assessment.

"He is a lad with a big heart and a big desire to play in this game.

"Barring Lee there are a few knocks and niggles but barring that we are in pretty good health."

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Updated:

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Neil Warnock has virtually saved Boro from relegation after 3 away wins , another achievement by Warnock, Boro fans full of praise for him

Last Night

Reading 1-2 Middlesbrough
Millwall 0-2 Middlesbrough
Stoke 0-2 Middlesbrough

Their home record is awful, so hopefully 3pts for City

Annis you forgot to mention that Warnock has also lost 3 games including Hull and haven’t won at home since Boxing Day v Huddersfield! Surely we should be able to get another win!

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2-1 city

What a shame this covid thing
if not for that i am sure we would have taken thousands to boro with warnock been there aswell china has a lot to answer for.

We will batter them 1 - 4 then Hull 5 - 0.

Updated

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Fixtures:

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What are the odds?

Middlesbrough 7/4
Draw 11/5
Cardiff City 17/10

What's the team news

Cardiff City will be made to sweat on the fitness of Lee Tomlin once again, with the player having not trained on Thursday.

The playmaker made his first start since February against Derby County on Tuesday night, during which he dispossessed Wayne Rooney before scoring the winner.

But Neil Harris said in his Thursday afternoon press conference that the player had not trained since the victory over Derby and they would have to assess his fitness on the eve of the Boro clash.

"He has not trained, so we will have to see how he is tomorrow, that’s my honest assessment," Harris said of Tomlin.

"He is a lad with a big heart and a big desire to play in this game.

"Barring Lee there are a few knocks and niggles but barring that we are in pretty good health."

Isaac Vassell and Greg Cunningham are still the long-term absentees.

For Boro, there are no fresh injury concerns.

The only question mark there is whether Anfernee Dijksteel can start again, with Tuesday's win over Reading being his first start since November.

Warnock also has a decision over whether to bring Britt Assombalonga back into the side after he was rested on Tuesday night

Warnock is a tactical genius and snatching points against better teams to survive has been his party trick for years. He takes poor teams and gets good results but he doesn’t make them unbeatable. His inside knowledge of our squad goes both ways. He’ll be telling his players tactics and drills that our squad played under for 3 years and know the strengths and weaknesses.
2-0 win I think. They’ll sit back going for the point with the occasional counter.

If Wigan fail to beat Charlton then Middlesboro will be safe by the time our game kicks off. Assuming Wigan's point deduction is applied which it will be. Not sure whether them having nothing to play for is good or bad for us though. Do hope that Hull lose and are relegated by the time we play them. Very big afternoon ahead.

Key match facts

Since a 1-1 draw in April 1971, none of the last 25 league meetings between Middlesbrough and Cardiff have ended level, with Boro winning 12 of those matches (13 wins for Cardiff).


Cardiff have suffered nine defeats in across their last 12 league trips to Middlesbrough (W3), though one of their three wins in this run did come in their most recent visit in 2017-18 (1-0).


Middlesbrough have won three of their last six games in the Championship (L3), as many as they had in their previous 14 games combined (W3 D5 L6).


Cardiff have won five of their last seven away games in the Championship – indeed, no side have won more often away from home in the competition in 2020 (five).


If Britt Assombalonga scores for Middlesbrough in this game, he will be the only player to have netted 10+ goals in each of the last four Championship seasons.

TEAM NEWS

Cardiff City XI: Smithies; Bacuna, Morrison, Nelson, Bennett; Vaulks, Ralls; Mendez-Laing, Tomlin, Hoilett; Glatzel

Subs: Etheridge, Sanderson, Flint, Bamba, Smith, Pack, Murphy, Paterson, Ward.

BLUEBIRDS

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Boro are safe

It’s full-time in the early game and it’s finished Charlton 2-2 Wigan.

Boro are safe.

That leaves Wigan on 46 points - taking into account their 12 point deduction - with one game to play and unable to catch Boro.

And with Hull and Luton playing each other today, only one can catch Boro in the remaining games

Here we go! We are underway at the Riverside. Boro get us started.