Riverside Showdown: League Leaders Middlesbrough Host High-Flying Stoke City

The most important match of the Championship's 8th round will be played in Middlesbrough, where the home team hosts Stoke. Boro is currently the Championship leader, while Stoke sits in an unexpected 3rd place. David Webb will referee the match at Riverside Stadium.

Stoke's Surprising Start

With 13 points and a positive goal difference (10:5), Stoke appears to be the surprise of the early Championship season. In recent years, Stoke has mostly been a mid-table team following their relegation from the Premier League. However, the start of the 2025 season gives them a glimmer of hope that the team could return to England's top flight.

Despite these positive aspects, Stoke seems to have entered a period of fluctuating form in their recent matches. Apart from the 1-0 home win against Birmingham, the team has dropped many points. In their last match, the Potters failed to overcome Norwich at home (1-1), and in September they lost away to QPR (by a narrow 1-0 margin) and at home to West Brom (also by a one-goal difference). Sorba Thomas is Stoke's most in-form attacker, with 3 goals and 3 assists.

Boro's Riverside Fortress

Middlesbrough is currently dominating the league and is also rated with the third-best chance of winning it, after Coventry and Ipswich. Boro is in solid form at home, having zero defeats this season, with only 2 draws. Conway and Kaly Sene are showing a great appetite in front of goal, each managing to score 4 times so far.

Head-to-Head History

The head-to-head history shows that Boro has the upper hand in this fixture. Out of 10 matches played against Stoke at home, Middlesbrough has won 6, with two draws and two losses. However, let's not jump to conclusions, because in 2024, Stoke crushed Middlesbrough 5-0 right at the Riverside. Not only that, but they also managed a 2-0 victory in 2023. It is also true, though, that the last two head-to-head meetings were won by Middlesbrough.

Safe Prediction

Our prediction is 1X, meaning a Middlesbrough win or a draw. The current Championship season is not very predictable for a 1X2 result, so we prefer a double chance, for safety. Both teams will probably score and we will see under 2.5 goals.

Where to Watch

• United Kingdom: Viewers can try streaming on Sky Sports+.
• USA: You can stream this match on Paramount+.