1 win in 6 may suggest something of a dip in form for Middlesbrough, and it certainly is. However, it has to be remembered they’ve played Burnley twice and also Leeds in that period. For sure, they’ve had some poor days in that run, but it is a tough beat for any side to play those sort of matches in quite quick succession.

Injuries and a sickness bug also hit the squad in that time, so there are some excuses. They’ll pay Hull respect but they know man-for-man they are much stronger and should be winning this if putting their best foot forward. They will be suitably motivated to do so given their recent run, which has also seen them draw 3 straight games.

Furthermore, Hull are winless in 6 of 7 season meetings against the current top-six. This includes a 3-1 defeat to Middlesbrough as recently as November 30th.

Middlesbrough do fall into the category of being more than capable of beating any team in this league quite convincingly on their day. The sheer firepower they possess offensively means they cannot be ruled out scoring plenty of goals. Only Leeds have scored more Championship goals than Boro this season.

There has already been 7 occasions in league action where Michael Carrick’s side have recorded 3 or more goals. If they click, then can make opponents look rather ordinary. Hull may have improved recently and experienced a bit of a new manager bounce, yet the reality is they’re one of the joint-lowest scorers at this level.

Rubén Sellés will be pleased at the progress his team has made during his relatively brief tenure in charge. However, Middlesbrough will be by far the biggest test he has faced, and it is going to require a top performance to get the result they want. Anything below that leaves them vulnerable against a super talented squad that is high on motivation because of recent poor form.

It has been a frustrating few weeks for Middlesbrough. Given how regularly they usually score, they’ll be a little frustrated not to score last time out, albeit against a very strong Burnley. Recent results obviously haven’t been what they wanted either, so the feeling amongst the squad will surely to be to really come out of the traps fast here. Hull won their last game but are low down the table for a reason, Boro could easily blow Hull away here, if something close to their best.

Also, Carrick’s men have form in terms of scoring plenty of first-half goals. So much so, they are ranked the joint-highest scorers in this period of Championship games along with Swansea. On the flip side, Hull are one of the lowest, with only Plymouth and Millwall netting fewer. It is never always that black and white but there is a reason this has happened. Tiredness will also come into the equation during this hectic schedule, and a team with greater quality of depth will benefit, which suits Middlesbrough more than Hull.

Middlesbrough are the more expected winners here but their mantra this season has mainly been to outscore the opposition. They were undoubtedly much more secure and controlled last season, when keeping clean sheets was a big priority for them. Michael Carrick has seemingly changed this, so there is every chance they still win but concede. After all, Boro have seen 9 of their last 13 games include both teams scoring. Their league battles are averaging 3.00 goals per match, so that fact alone means the prospect of goals just cannot be denied whenever they’re involved.

Hull have also more than played their part across the campaign in games featuring goals. For example, 7 of their 12 played at MKM Stadium saw each team find the back of the net. 3 of their 5 encounters under Rubén Sellés as well has done exactly the same, too.