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Apr 2, 2021 at 3pm UK
BournemouthBournemouth
3-1
MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough
Billing (14'), Lerma (66'), Solanke (83')
Billing (59'), Smith (79')
FT(HT: 1-0)
Watmore (63')
McNair (69'), Bola (90+1')

Preview: Bournemouth vs. Middlesbrough - prediction, team news, lineups

:Headline: Preview: Bournemouth vs. Middlesbrough - prediction, team news, lineups:
Sports Mole previews Friday's Championship clash between Bournemouth and Middlesbrough, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Sports Mole

Promotion rivals Bournemouth and Middlesbrough meet at the Vitality Stadium on Friday afternoon in a huge Championship clash.

Bournemouth are three points adrift of the playoffs with a game in hand, while Boro are three points further back and cannot afford to lose this match.


Match preview

The Cherries were eliminated from the FA Cup by Southampton at the quarter-final stage in their last match before the international break, meaning that their sole focus is now on promotion back to the Premier League.

Bournemouth's form has been very inconsistent of late, having drawn, lost and won their last three league matches.

However, their last league game ended in a 3-0 win over high-flying Swansea City thanks to goals from Philip Billing and Arnaut Danjuma, either side of Joel Latibeaudiere's own goal.

Bournemouth's promotion hopes are now in their own hands thanks to a superior goal difference on Reading in sixth place, and they have a favourable set of fixtures to see out the campaign.

Friday's visit of Middlesbrough will be a tough test, though, against a side hot on their heels in ninth place.

Neil Warnock has another promotion in his sights, but defeat to Millwall last time out - Grant Hall's own goal proving the difference at The Den - has increased the pressure for this trip south.

Boro have now lost back-to-back away games, although Bournemouth's home form is not much better, the Cherries losing three of their last five games at the Vitality Stadium in all competitions.

The Smoggies have never won an away league game against Bournemouth in seven attempts, with this being their first-such encounter since a 4-0 loss in the 2016-17 Premier League campaign.

Furthermore, Warnock has won none of his last four away league matches against Bournemouth since leading Huddersfield Town to victory in the 1994-95 season, something both he and Boro will be eager to put right here.

Bournemouth Championship form:
  • L
  • W
  • W
  • D
  • L
  • W

Bournemouth form (all competitions):
  • W
  • W
  • D
  • L
  • W
  • L

Middlesbrough Championship form:
  • D
  • W
  • L
  • W
  • W
  • L


Team News

Warnock and opposite number Jason Tindall have questioned the timing of this Good Friday fixture, which comes two days after the final set of March internationals take place.

Bournemouth's Chris Mepham and Shan Long represented Wales and Republic of Ireland respectively on Tuesday, the latter travelling to Hungary for that match.

As for Middlesbrough, Paddy McNair and George Saville are part of the Northern Ireland squad set to take on Bulgaria in a crucial World Cup qualifier on Wednesday evening.

That could give both managers a major selection problem, though Warnock and Tindall will of course be keen to get their best players on the field from the start.

Bournemouth will definitely be without midfielder Lewis Cook for this match, while Junior Stanislas, David Brooks, Lloyd Kelly and Adam Smith are all doubtful.

Danjuma should be fit to start, though, as he looks to score for the fourth league game running, having also assisted in each of the last two.

Anfernee Dijksteel and Marcus Browne are both nursing injuries from Boro's perspective.

Bournemouth possible starting lineup:
Begovic; Stacey, Carter-Vickers, Cook, Rico; Lerma, Pearson; Riquelme, Billing, Danjuma; Solanke

Middlesbrough possible starting lineup:
Bettinelli; Hall, Fry, Bola; Spence, Howson, McNair, Johnson; Tavernier, Fletcher, Mendez-Laing


We say: Bournemouth 2-2 Middlesbrough

The final stretch is in sight in the Championship and these two teams know exactly what is required if they are to drag themselves into the top six.

Boro know that a defeat on Friday could well put paid to their promotion hopes, but we can see them grinding out a point on the South Coast to stay within touching distance of their opponents.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting a double chance bet on a home win or an away win in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Home/Away:data



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Championship Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Norwich CityNorwich39259557282984
2Watford402310757273079
3Brentford391913766402670
4Swansea CitySwansea392091045311469
5Barnsley40208125244868
6Reading401991256431366
7Bournemouth3918111060382265
8Cardiff CityCardiff4016101455431258
9Millwall401416104137458
10Middlesbrough40169154843557
11Stoke CityStoke401413134544155
12Queens Park RangersQPR391411144346-353
13Luton TownLuton39148173245-1350
14Bristol City40154214055-1549
15Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest401212163439-548
16Preston North EndPreston40146204150-948
17Blackburn RoversBlackburn401210185045546
18Huddersfield TownHuddersfield381110174253-1143
19Derby CountyDerby401110193045-1543
20Coventry CityCoventry391012173552-1742
21Birmingham CityBirmingham401012182950-2142
22Rotherham UnitedRotherham36105213851-1335
23Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds39118203348-1535
24Wycombe WanderersWycombe4089232961-3233
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Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City31235366214574
2Manchester UnitedMan Utd30179458332560
3Leicester CityLeicester30175853341956
4West Ham UnitedWest Ham30157848371152
5Chelsea30149746301651
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs30147951321949
7Liverpool30147951361549
8Everton29145104138347
9Aston Villa291351142311144
10Arsenal30126124035542
11Leeds UnitedLeeds30133144748-142
12Crystal Palace30108123248-1638
13Southampton30106143953-1436
14Wolverhampton WanderersWolves3098133041-1135
15Burnley3089132440-1633
16Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton30711123338-532
17Newcastle UnitedNewcastle3078153050-2029
18Fulham31511152441-1726
19West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom3049172559-3421
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd3042241752-3514
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