Burnleyvs.Middlesbrough

The visitors will also be looking to continue their impressive run of form after winning four of their last five matches.

Match preview

After suffering relegation from the Premier League, Burnley are looking to secure an immediate return to the top flight under the watch of Scott Parker, who was brought in as Vincent Kompany's replacement in the summer.

Parker's side are currently sitting in second place and just two points adrift of Championship leaders Sheffield United after winning 10, drawing six and losing just two of their 18 league matches.

The Clarets have built significant momentum in recent weeks, having won four consecutive matches without conceding.

Burnley dispatched Swansea City, Bristol City and Coventry City, before they recorded a 2-0 away victory in Saturday's away clash with Stoke City thanks to Jay Rodriguez's opener and Josh Brownhill's penalty.

Impressively, the promotion hopefuls have recorded five consecutive shutouts since Millwall's Jake Cooper beat James Trafford on November 3, taking their overall tally to 12 clean sheets for the season.

Burnley will hope their strong backline can help preserve their unbeaten home record, having won five and drawn three of their eight league matches at Turf Moor this term.

Middlesbrough will be looking to boost their own promotion hopes on Friday, with Michael Carrick's side sitting six points adrift of Burnley in sixth position.

Last month, Boro scored 15 goals in a three-game winning run before they were stopped in their tracks by a narrow 1-0 home defeat against Blackburn Rovers.

They picked themselves up from that disappointment to return to winning ways in Saturday's clash against Hull City, with Tommy Conway netting a brace to help his side clinch a 3-1 victory at the Riverside Stadium.

After producing another free-scoring display, Middlesbrough have now racked up 32 goals in 18 matches this season, making them the league's second-highest scorers behind Norwich City.

They have also scored more away goals than any other team in the Championship, giving them some confidence that they can trouble a Burnley side that boasts the division's best defensive record.

However, Middlesbrough have tended to struggle in recent games against the Clarets, having failed to win any of their last six head-to-head meetings (D2, L4) since they recorded a 1-0 home win in December 2015.

Burnley Championship form:

L

D

W

W

W

W

Middlesbrough Championship form:

L

W

W

W

L

W

Team News

Burnley are unable to call upon Manuel Benson, Aaron Ramsey and Lyle Foster, although the trio are making progress in their respective injury recoveries.

Hjalmar Ekdal, Joe Worrall and Hannes Delcroix are in contention to feature in the matchday squad after getting minutes for the Under-23 side in midweek.

Lucas Pires will be hoping to get the nod over Bashir Humphreys on the left side of the defence after dropping down to the bench on Saturday.

As for the visitors, they remain without the services of Tommy Smith, Darragh Lenihan and Alex Bangura due to injury.

Seny Dieng is set to return to the squad after recovering from illness, while Riley McGree and Rav van den Berg are looking to prove their fitness in time for Friday's contest.

Luke Ayling and Matt Clarke will be looking to earn a recall after dropping to the bench for the 3-1 win over Hull.

Burnley possible starting lineup:

Trafford; Roberts, Egan-Riley, Esteve, Pires; Cullen, Laurent; Anthony, Sarmiento, Koleosho; Rodriguez

Middlesbrough possible starting lineup:

Brynn; Ayling, Edmundson, Clarke, Borges; Barlaser, Hackney; Doak, Azaz, Burgzorg; Conway

We say: Burnley 1-1 Middlesbrough

Burnley will be full of confidence after winning each of their last four matches, while they also boast an unbeaten record at Turf Moor this season.

Written by

Ben Sully

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