This game features one side who was tipped for great success in pre-season, against another who is one of the favorites for relegation. Despite spending very little in the transfer market, the bookmakers obviously thought that the management of Tony Mowbray would be enough to bring success to the Riverside. This is in contrast to Coventry, who were placed as favorites for the drop after a miserable summer at the Richo Arena.
The bookmakers actually appear to be right for the time being in relation to Middlesbrough. The Riverside outfit have started the season superbly and having accumulated ten points from the twelve available, they currently find themselves in 3rd position. That means that they are currently unbeaten and having already faced sides such as Birmingham and Leeds, their supporters will be delighted with that fact. With Tony Mowbray also promising that he is set to dip into the transfer market before the window closes, the future at the Riverside certainly appears to be bright and Boro’s supporters have every reason to smile.
Coventry on the other hand are enduring a real torrid time. The club are still without a victory to their name and having just collected the one point, they currently sit in 23rd position. Unfortunately, their supporters are not too hopeful of this situation changing with many believing that manager Andy Thorn simply does not possess the experience to handle the circumstances he is being forced to work under. This is Thorn’s first job in management and with the Sky Blues having well documented financial problems, it would be a difficult job for an established manager at the best of times. With that, Thorn will be feeling massive amounts of pressure on his shoulders and it remains to be seen how much time the club’s board decide to give him.
While Tony Mowbray will be delighted with his side’s start to the campaign, he will be slightly concerned about the amount of injuries at the club with four players set to sit out this clash. Scott McDonald, Justin Hoyte, Kevin Thomson and Merouane Zemmama are all on the treatment table and none of the quartet will feature on Saturday. There is no new news to report for Coventry meanwhile, with Andy Thorn tipped to keep changes to a minimum. The Sky Blues will still be without Gary Deegan, Richard Wood and Gary McSheffrey who continue to struggle with the injury problems that have ruled them out in recent matches.
As for a prediction, we just can’t see past Middlesbrough for this game. Boro have experienced a wonderful start to the season and with opponents Coventry performing so poorly in recent weeks, our prediction will be a comfortable 2-0 win for Tony Mowbray’s men.
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