EFL Championship | Gameweek 41

Apr 8, 2025 at 8pm UK

Riverside Stadium

Middlesbrough vs Leeds

Match preview

After missing out on the play-offs by four points last season, Middlesbrough are hoping to end their eight-year wait for Premier League football and Michael Carrick's men have impressively improved their chances of doing so since suffering a five-game losing streak just a few weeks ago.

At Ewood Park on Friday night, Tommy Conway's cool first touch and finish gave them the lead within two minutes of kick-off, before Samuel Iling-Junior's deflected shot soon after sent Boro cruising to a 2-0 win.

The Teesside outfit have won five of their last seven games to move a point clear of seventh place with six games to play, and can secure fifth place with maximum points in midweek.

Carrick's side have recently won three successive Championship home games - their best run since early 2023, when they won seven in a row - so confidence will be high ahead of Tuesday's stern test.

Despite winning the EFL Cup meeting between the clubs earlier this season, Middlesbrough have lost five successive league games to Leeds, conceding at least three goals on four occasions, following a 3-1 defeat in the reverse fixture in December.

Winners of a seven-goal thriller at the Riverside this time last year, Leeds have certainly had the edge over their Yorkshire rivals of late - but recent form suggests they may struggle to continue that trend.

The Whites have slipped out of the Championship's top two after a 1-1 draw with minnows Luton Town at Kenilworth Road on Saturday lunchtime, with Daniel James scoring a superb equaliser to salvage a point.

The result means that Leeds have now drawn three games in a row and won just once in six, leaving them reliant on either Sheffield United or Burnley to drop points after they looked all but certain of automatic promotion two months ago.

Having gone behind in each of their last four away games, they will be particularly wary of the visitors who started so brightly on Friday.

Yet it would be hard to find a manager with more direct experience of such ups and downs: Leeds boss Daniel Farke has won promotion five times in his managerial career.

Furthermore, Farke has won eight out of nine league games against Middlesbrough - the most he has beaten any club in his time in English football.

Recent Performance

Middlesbrough Championship form:WLWDWW

Leeds United Championship form:DLWDDD

Team News

Middlesbrough manager Michael Carrick was already missing a trio of defenders, with centre-back Neto Borges joining Dael Fry, George Edmundson and Luke Ayling on the sidelines after suffering an ankle injury against Blackburn.

As a result, Rav van den Berg is in line to join Jonny Howson in a four-man defence at the back on Tuesday.

Up front, Tommy Conway scored his 12th Championship goal of the season last time out and will continue to lead an attack that also includes Finn Azaz and Kelechi Iheanacho.

Meanwhile, Leeds duo Patrick Bamford and Max Wober recently returned to full training and made appearances off the bench at the weekend after recovering from long-term injuries.

Karl Darlow replaced Illan Meslier in goal at Kenilworth Road, with Daniel Farke citing the Wales international's reliability and experience as reasons for him to keep the gloves.

Possible starting lineup

Middlesbrough possible starting lineup:

Travers; Dijksteel, Van den Berg, Howson, Giles; Hackney, Morris; Iling-Junior, Iheanacho, Azaz; Conway

Leeds United possible starting lineup:

Darlow; Bogle, Rodon, Struijk, Firpo; Tanaka, Ampadu; James, Aaronson, Solomon; Piroe