- Middlesbrough U21 have won two, drawn one and lost two of their last five matches, while Stoke City U21 have won one and lost four of their last five (W1, L4).
- Boro U21 have won once and lost once at home in their last two Premier League 2 fixtures.
- Stoke City U21 have won once and lost twice in their last three away matches in Premier League 2.
An interesting clash of styles
Mark Tinkler’s Middlesbrough U21 outfit and Darren Potter’s Stoke City U21 side are in danger of being swallowed up by the Premier League 2 relegation zone if they don’t arrest their respective slide in the standings, but with 21 points from 17 matches (15th) and 19 points from 16 games (18th) respectively, it’s not too late to reverse the tide for the teams.
The match between Boro and Stoke on Friday has little to do with rivalry and more to do with development and learning for the players involved, but the contrast in styles of play may well make it an interesting fixture.
Boro are more structured and patient with the ball and they like to dominate the midfield battle before launching quick vertical transitions, or carving out their chances via set pieces. Stoke are more direct, like to win second balls in duels and will press opponents in wide areas where they can make the most of the second ball and counterattack. If Boro are ‘The Geordies’ in their playing style, then Stoke are ‘The Potters’ in the way they play.
Stoke’s solid set-piece play can keep things interesting
Stoke’s approach will bring a different kind of challenge to Tinkler’s charges and this could be a clash in which the home side dictates the tempo and the visitors are looking to disrupt and counter.
Boro are favoured by the bookmakers at 39/100 and the Potters are priced at 112/25, which seems quite high to us. However, Stoke will feel they have a decent chance of avoiding defeat if they can dominate the aerial battle and set-piece situation.
Tyler Martin has been a bright spark in Stoke’s recent matches with two goals in five matches and they’ve had a tough set of games of late with a 6-1 home drubbing by Manchester City Academy, a 2-1 defeat away to Ipswich Academy and a 4-2 loss at Norwich City Academy.
The ‘Over 2.5 goals’ market is a good price with both teams looking to attack and defend with their own set of problems.
Boro have the home edge
Boro will take all the beating on Friday but Potter’s men will give it a real go and could trouble the scorers. Boro have scored 18 goals at home in PL2 this season, an average of 2.00 goals per game, and they have a few creative players who can do damage from set pieces.
Boro’s last home H2H with Stoke was a 4-1 win in the 2023/2024 Premier League 2 season and we’re going for a similar outcome with the hosts having the advantage of home turf, being the more solid unit and the better current form.
