- Boro have won 4 and drawn 1 of their last 5 Championship fixtures, including a 2-1 home win over West Bromwich Albion.
- Boro are unbeaten away in the Championship (Won 2, Drawn 1) after 3 matches, averaging 2.33 goals scored per game and conceding 1.00 per away game.
- Still’s Saints have won just one, drawn two and lost two of their five Championship matches, losing 3-1 at Hull City in their most recent game.
Still to make a mark on Southampton
Will Still’s style of play has yet to transfer onto the field at Southampton, who have made a slow start to life in the second tier under their young boss.
Still’s pragmatic approach, which relies on having control of the ball, creating positional overloads and fluid shapes to carve out chances through controlled build-up, has not yet been shown in its full glory by the Saints this term.
Saints’ squad has taken time to adjust to his methods and there has been little to recommend Still’s side apart from Ryan Manning, who has 2 goals in 6 Championship matches to lead the scoring charts for his team.
This Southampton vs Middlesbrough preview shows that Middlesbrough boss Rob Edwards has wasted no time in putting his stamp on Boro and the result has been an unbeaten start and some impressive attacking play.
Boro sit top of the Championship table with 16 points from 6 games, but Saints are on six points after as many games, in 19th. These two sides will be looking to get some momentum with a result in this early season clash of managers with differing philosophies. For more insight, check out our Southampton vs Middlesbrough prediction for this matchup.
Boro can take the spoils
Edwards has installed a back three system that allows his wing-backs to overlap and create real attacking width, while Boro are very good on the transition, both on the break and in terms of pressing teams when they lose the ball.
Saints like to play a possession-based game and use their structure and discipline to press opponents, so it will be interesting to see which manager comes out on top in this tactical battle.
Furthermore, our Southampton vs Middlesbrough betting tips suggest Boro’s superior form and extra attacking threat means they should have enough to nick the game on Saturday, although Saints are well structured and can certainly make a game of it.
Back Boro to continue their good start to the season by taking the points against a side Southampton have not beaten in their last two meetings (1 win, 1 draw). Still’s team have failed to win their last 2 home games, drawing 0-0 with Portsmouth in the last one, and Boro are favored to edge it at 2.25.
The Southampton vs Middlesbrough prediction also takes into account that Both Teams To Score is priced at 1.63 because both sides will attack and both managers want the 3 points. Tommy Conway is a constant threat down the middle of Boro’s attack and has 2 in 6 this time around.
