Morecambevs.Middlesbrough

Chris Wilder's men were denied a third consecutive pre-season victory last time out when they suffered defeat against Braga and will look to quickly bounce back to winning ways.

Match preview

After avoiding relegation by just two points in the League One last term, Morecambe continue to struggle for form in pre-season as they were forced to a 1-1 draw by a dogged Chester side on Saturday.

Ashley Hunter broke the deadlock at the Deva Stadium when he netted in the 22nd minute to put the visitors ahead but former Wolverhampton Wanderers man Declan Weeks restored parity with a 56th-minute strike.

This followed a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Huddersfield Town on July 12, when a first-half brace from Ben Jackson and Jordan Rhodes's 84th-minute strike helped the Terriers ease to a comfortable victory at the Canalside Sports Complex.

Having kicked off their pre-season with a 2-1 victory over amateur side Stalybridge Celtic on July 5, Derek Adams's men have failed to win their subsequent three outings, losing once and picking up two draws in that time.

This poor run has been owing to their struggles at the defensive end of the pitch, an area in which they struggled to impose themselves in last season as they conceded 88 goals in the 2021-22 League One campaign.

On the other hand, Middlesbrough's brief camp in Portugal ended in defeat as they were beaten 3-0 by Braga when the sides went head to head on Friday.

It was straight to business for Os Arcebispos as Iuri Medeiros opened the scoring in the 11th minute before Andre Horta struck twice in the second period to cap off a fine team display.

Prior to that, Boro kicked off their preparations for the new season with a 5-0 thrashing of Bishop Auckland on July 3 before visiting the LNER Community Stadium where they claimed a 3-2 win over York City six days later.

After a solid campaign in the Championship last term, Middlesbrough ran out of steam at the tail end of the season as they picked up just two wins and two draws from their final eight games.

This poor run saw them miss out on a place in the playoffs as they picked up 70 points from 46 games to finish seventh in the standings, five points off Luton Town in the final playoff qualification spot.

Morecambe pre-season form:

Middlesbrough pre-season form:

Team News

Newly-signed midfielder Hunter announced his arrival in style as he opened the scoring against Chester last time out and the former Salford City man should retain his role at the centre of the park.

Cole Stockton, who netted 23 goals in the League One last term, could come into the XI on Tuesday, having started off the bench in the aforementioned game.

The English forward could team up with fellow countrymen Wesley McDonald and Jonathan Obika at the attacking end of the pitch, while 25-year-old Liam Gibson should retain his place at the heart of the defence.

Meanwhile, Middlesbrough will take to the pitch without 23-year-old midfielder Martin Payero, who recently completed a loan move to Boca Juniors, while Djed Spence will not feature amidst interest from Tottenham.

Following their humbling defeat against Braga, Wilder could ring the changes to his XI on Tuesday, with Paddy McNair coming into the fold to handle business at the defensive end of the pitch.

The former Sheffield United manager could also hand game time to youngsters like Daniel Dodds and Jack Robinson, while Duncan Watmore could be rewarded with a starting role after impressing against the Portuguese side.

Morecambe possible starting lineup:

Smith; Gibson, Melbourne, Taylor, Rawson, McLaughlin; Delaney, Hunter, Love; Obika, Stockton, McDonald

Middlesbrough possible starting lineup:

Roberts; Lenihan, McNair, Robinson; Dijksteel, Howson, McGree, Tavernier, Giles; Crooks; Watmore

We say: Morecambe 1-3 Middlesbrough

While the full-time result remains unimportant as both sides look to gain fitness with the upcoming campaign around the corner, we expect a thrilling contest at the Mazuma Stadium. Despite their defeat to Braga, Middlesbrough head into the weekend as the more in-form side and we are backing them to come away with the victory.

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