Are Boro about to play second fiddle to AFCB?

All through this season Middlesbrough have been in and around the play-off zone and yet they have only been top of the division for one week between 9-16 February. Whether they have enough about them to win the league I guess will be shown this weekend. They have by far the best defence, but scoring goals has not been so easy for them and yet they have beaten Derby, Ipswich and Norwich well at home. Away from home it is a little different though and it probably tells us why they have not been top for more weeks.

How will Middlesbrough play it against the Cherries?

On the road Boro have taken 10 points from their last six away games. It's good but not amazing and it was only six points from the previous five away games before that. Boro like to keep it tight and are very good at keeping clean sheets though and they are capable of pinching games with the likes of Patrick Bamford, Albert Adomah and Lee Tomlin - Derby County found that out recently.

It is really not an easy game for the Cherries, but it's the kind of game the players should be looking forward to. You should want to play against the best players and Boro have a team that is well managed and strong in virtually all areas. But would Boro be happy to take a point from this game and move on? I think they might and that may have a bearing on how Aitor Karanka sets his team up. I hope they come to play with the cameras at Dean Court and that the game is open, but everything tells me that Boro's best chance maybe to try and slow the game down and simply aim to stay in the game, before an opportunity might fall to them.

AFCB have not been beaten at home since 10 January when Norwich beat them 1-2. AFCB are getting better though at home and playing in front of the cameras, and if they can go into the international break in the automatic promotion places the break will have come at a good time.

Middlesbrough Away Form
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AFCB Home Form
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