MIDDLESBROUGHVSTOKECITY

Match insight

Middlesbrough and Stoke City are both riding a genuine wave of results heading into this one. Middlesbrough currently sit 6 places and 5 points above Stoke City in the table — 2nd against 8th and inside the automatic promotion places. Middlesbrough have taken 11 points from their last 5, against 10 for Stoke City over the same stretch. Stoke City have punched above our metrics so far this season — around 5 places higher in the table than the rating alone would place them.