Middlesbrough v Man Utd: Team news, predictions & odds

The game kicks off at 1200 GMT at the Riverside Stadium live on BT Sport 1.

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Middlesbrough v Manchester United: Our prediction 

Nick Hext's preview... 

"We have lots of things going against us and we will have to fight and we will probably lose on Sunday. Fatigue has a price."   

That’s the opposite of fighting talk from Jose Mourinho ahead of Manchester United’s trip to Middlesbrough on Sunday.   

Roy Keane has already had his say on the Portuguese’s whinging. “It's just utter nonsense what he's talking about” being just one of a string of barbs aimed at the moaning Mourinho.   

The bookies certainly don’t agree that United “will probably lose”. 

The Red Devils are odds-on across the board to get the three points at Boro, who enter this contest on the back of manager Aitor Karanka’s departure on Thursday. 

Karanka’s exit, by mutual consent according to both parties, is the right decision but it could well be too late, especially as there doesn’t seem to be a replacement ready to arrive at the time of writing.   

Boro haven’t scored in their last five Premier League games, picking up just one draw in the process, and they sit second-bottom of the table with a three-point gap to safety ahead of the start of this weekend’s action. It could be wider by Sunday lunchtime.   

The problem for the Riverside Stadium outfit all season has been scoring goals.

They have the worst record in the division to leave them unable to take advantage of the strong showing from their defence that has conceded fewer goals than both Arsenal and Liverpool.   

That leaves caretaker-manager Steve Agnew with a conundrum. How best to get Boro scoring while not losing the defensive stability that has marked the progress made during Karanka’s reign?   

Agnew is unfortunate that he doesn’t have too many options to change Boro’s approach. 

Adama Traore is their most lively talent but his end-product is inconsistent and both Rudy Gestede and Alvaro Negredo lack finesse at the head of the attack.   

We’ve already seen from Hull, Swansea and Leicester this season that a change of manager can reap immediate dividends but Boro have been under Karanka’s learning tree for so long that it’s hard to see how they can immediately evolve into the Harlem Globetrotters.   

The hope for the hosts on Sunday is the aforementioned “fatigue” takes effect and United suffer from the loss of the injured Paul Pogba and suspended Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Ander Herrera.   

Mourinho has other injury concerns but the absence of those three is definitely the biggest boost to Boro’s chances of springing a surprise, although it could be an advantage for Mourinho to ring the changes if you believe his comments at the top of this preview.   

Boro are a best price of 5/1 to get the win and I’m sure that will have quite a few backers given the possibility of a positive reaction to Karanka’s departure. 

I just don’t think, though, that Agnew has the attacking talent to defeat the Red Devils.   

United have only conceded five goals in their last 12 outings and they still have enough strength at the back to not be flustered by their hectic fixture schedule.   

I agree with the bookies that United will get a narrow win in a low-scoring game but it’s one to avoid from a punting perspective given the uncertainty created by Karanka’s exit and, to a lesser extent, United’s busy run of games.   

Prediction: Middlesbrough 0-1 Manchester United  

Middlesbrough v Manchester United: Team news 

Interim head coach Steve Agnew is hoping to have Bernardo Espinosa and Rudy Gestede available for his first game in charge of Middlesbrough against Manchester United on Sunday.

Defender Espinosa and striker Gestede limped out of last Saturday's 2-0 FA Cup quarter-final defeat by Manchester City with hamstring problems, but both have resumed training with the latter closer than the former to making himself available.

Midfielder Adlene Guedioura is available after being cup-tied last weekend, but Boro will once again have to do without injured defensive trio George Friend (calf), Daniel Ayala (hamstring) and Calum Chambers (foot). 

Suspended Manchester United duo Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Ander Herrera will be joined on the sidelines by injured midfielder Paul Pogba.

Ibrahimovic and Herrera are serving domestic bans as Jose Mourinho's men arrive at the Riverside Stadium for a match Pogba will miss with a hamstring injury sustained in the midweek Europa League win against Rostov.

Daley Blind is a doubt for Sunday after sustaining a bump to the head and captain Wayne Rooney's availability is unclear after sustaining a training ground knock. 

Anthony Martial, Luke Shaw and Bastian Schweinsteiger will be hoping to be selected after training away from the main group ahead of the Rostov game.

Teams

Middlesbrough (from):  Valdes, Guzan, Barragan, Fabio, Gibson, Espinosa, Husband, Fry, De Roon, Clayton, Forshaw, Leadbitter, Guedioura, Downing, Stuani, Traore, Fischer, Negredo, Gestede, Bamford. 

Manchester United (from): De Gea, Romero, Valencia, Jones, Rojo, Smalling, Bailly, Blind, Darmian, Shaw, Young, Carrick, Fellaini, Schweinsteiger, Mata, Lingard, Mkhitaryan, Rooney, Martial, Rashford. 

Middlesbrough v Manchester United: Manager quotes   

Steve Agnew (Middlesbrough)

On the battle to keep Boro up:  "It would be the biggest single achievement of my life. I sit here and I keep using the word 'confident', and I do believe we will stay in the Premier League.

"I think I'm capable of delivering it, the players are capable of delivering it and I know we have got the support of everyone else in the club, and the supporters will play a massive part in that.

 "The players understand where we are and what we need to do to get out of the situation we're in. But they also realise that we've played some really, really good football, we've played well against a lot of the top teams, so they are more than capable." 

On his desire for a head-coaching role: "It was very, very close for me. It's not ideal, the circumstances, the way it's happened, but yes, it was around the corner.

"I have waited patiently and I am very, very confident that I will be successful." 

On Steve Gibson's instructions: "He was as brief as, 'Get on with it, enjoy it and organise the team for the weekend', and that's as much as I wanted to hear. I didn't go into anything more than that and that's where I am with it all - and quite relaxed with that.

"I have to be honest, it was a really difficult day yesterday, a very emotional day, but then today the players have trained well and we look forward to the weekend."

On Stewart Downing: "Stewart is a Middlesbrough boy. He and loves the club, he was born and bred in Middlesbrough and it's his town club. He's a talented footballer.

"Stewart is somebody I have known a long time, so I know how he works and he's a big part of the rest of the season." 

Jose Mourinho (Manchester United)

Reaction to beating Rostov, telling BT Sport 2: "In the first half we were fresh, not bad and we were really dominant and we created chances and looked like we were going to score a couple of goals to kill it.

"I was afraid of extra-time and I knew I had Marcos Rojo in trouble, so it was a difficult game.

"We have lots of enemies, it is difficult to play Monday night, it is difficult to play Monday night with 10 men, it is difficult to play now and it is difficult to play on Sunday at 12 o'clock so we have lots of enemies, but the boys were fantastic.

"We have lots of things going against us and we will have to fight and we will probably lose on Sunday. Fatigue has a price. "

On Paul Pogba's injury: "I don't know for sure how long but for sure no Middlesbrough and no national team."

Middlesbrough v Manchester United: Sky Bet odds

Middlesbrough are up against odds of 5/1 with Sky Bet, who make Manchester United 8/13 favourites while pricing the draw at 13/5. The hosts headed into the weekend as the 1/3 second favourites to face relegation, while Jose Mourinho’s men are 7/4 to secure a top-four finish. Marcus Rashford heads the first goalscorer betting at 4/1 in Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s absence, while Alvaro Negredo is rated the hosts’ main threat at 9/1 to net first.  

Click for Sky Bet's Middlesbrough v Manchester United odds!

Middlesbrough v Manchester United: Opta facts 

Middlesbrough are winless in their last 12 meetings with Manchester United in all competitions (D5 L7), although they did progress via penalties in their League Cup clash in October 2015. 

The Red Devils have scored in each of their last 14 away league games against Middlesbrough; their longest active streak against a single opponent. 

United have won four of their last six Premier League trips to the Riverside (D1 L1). 

Wayne Rooney has been directly involved in six goals in his last five Premier League games against Middlesbrough (two goals, four assists). 

After losing successive Premier League games against promoted sides in December 2015 (vs Bournemouth and Norwich), Man Utd are unbeaten in their last seven (W5 D2), keeping five clean sheets. 

Manchester United’s next win will be their 600th in the Premier League, becoming the first side to reach that landmark. 

Middlesbrough’s next loss in the Premier League will be their 1000th defeat in the English top-flight and they would become the 14th team to do so. 

This game will see the team who averages the fewest shots on target (Middlesbrough – 2.4 per game) face the team who attempts the most per game (Manchester United – 6.3 per game). 

Manchester United are currently on the longest unbeaten run in the Premier League (17 games), while opponents Middlesbrough are on the longest current winless run in the competition (10 games). 

United will be missing the suspended Zlatan Ibrahimovic for this match. The Swede has 15 goals in the Premier League this season; nine more than any other player for the club (Juan Mata – six goals). 

Ibrahimovic has attempted nearly a quarter of Manchester United’s shots in the Premier League this season (109 – 24.3%).