- 1 Middlesbrough vs Norwich City : Riverside stronghold faces a promotion hopeful
- 2 Middlesbrough : unbeaten at home and never two defeats in a row
- 3 Norwich City : three wins in four after a shaky start
- 4 Football Prediction Middlesbrough vs Norwich City
- 5 First up, a word on our free predictions
- 6 No commitment from us
- 7 Information can change
- 8 Your responsibility
- 9 Responsible gambling first
- 10 Legal age
- 11 About the visuals…
Middlesbrough vs Norwich City : Riverside stronghold faces a promotion hopeful 
Middlesbrough have not lost a single home match in 2026-27. Three wins from three at home, with a combined score of 6-2, set the tone before they host Norwich City on Saturday at 16:00.
The historical edge points the same way. Boro are unbeaten in their last nine meetings with the Canaries.
Norwich have not won at Middlesbrough’s Riverside Stadium since November 2020. Teemu Pukki’s goal was enough for the visitors that day.
Both clubs go into this seventh Championship round with the same stated aim: Premier League promotion. Middlesbrough have not featured there since 2016, back in the Aitor Karanka era.
The past week has looked very different for the two sides. Boro were knocked out of the EFL Cup by Crystal Palace, while Norwich picked up three league points.
Kim Hellberg made heavy changes at Selhurst Park, where a Jorgen Strand-Larsen brace and a Daichi Kamada lob wrapped up a one-sided 3-0 defeat. The result ended a four-match unbeaten run.
Philippe Clement, meanwhile, gave his regulars the night off on Wednesday and still got a win. That sort of energy management could matter over the weekend.
The question is whether the cup exit leaves a mark on Teesside, or whether it simply does not concern the side that turns up on Saturday.
Both managers arrived with a clear brief for this promotion project. Kim Hellberg and Philippe Clement are under pressure already, right at the start of the campaign.
Round seven comes at a crucial point, just before the table starts to take real shape. A win would push Middlesbrough into the top third.
Middlesbrough : unbeaten at home and never two defeats in a row 
Middlesbrough have a perfect home record this season, with three wins from three. The 6-2 aggregate across those games shows real defensive control.
In the league, their run reads like this: a 2-1 win over Lincoln City, a 2-1 loss at Blackburn, a 3-1 win over West Bromwich Albion, a 1-1 draw at Burnley and a 0-1 win at Queens Park Rangers.
Tuesday’s EFL Cup defeat should be taken with a pinch of salt. Hellberg named several rotation players from the start, including David Strelec, Tommy Conway and Sam Byram.
One stat backs up that view: Boro have not lost two official matches on the bounce for more than nine months. This side bounces back.
Will Lankshear only played the final 15 minutes at Selhurst Park and will return to the starting XI. The 21-year-old forward, signed in the 2026 summer window, already has five goals in three official home matches.
Ashley Phillips is also expected to start, according to the staff. Bringing those two back at the same time changes the look of the team compared with Tuesday.
Jeremy Sarmiento remains the only major absentee, sidelined by a leg injury for the last three matches. Hellberg has almost a full squad to choose from for this home game.
Getting Middlesbrough’s main men back in changes everything compared with the rotated side at Selhurst Park. Strelec, Conway and Byram picked up valuable minutes there, which should help keep the starters fresh.
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Norwich City : three wins in four after a shaky start 
Norwich opened their season with two worrying defeats, 1-2 against West Bromwich Albion and 0-3 at Millwall. Since then, the recovery has been sharp.
The Canaries have won three of their last four Championship matches, which leaves them ninth. The 4-1 battering of Burnley remains their standout result so far.
Their most eye-catching win came last week at Bramall Lane, where Norwich came away with a 3-1 victory over Sheffield United.
On Wednesday, Philippe Clement rested Mohamed Toure and Anis Ben Slimane and still beat Birmingham City 2-1 at Carrow Road. Oscar Schwartau and Papa Diallo had the game done before half-time.
That squad depth is Norwich’s biggest asset. Toure and Ben Slimane should come straight back into the side on Saturday.
There are still concerns in midfield and up front, though. Mirko Topic and Ali Ahmed are out with knee issues, with the latter expected to miss most of the season.
Jovon Makama got minutes on Wednesday, his first Championship appearance since February after a run of foot injuries. He is back in the available group.
The one caveat is the travel. Recent trips to Millwall and Stoke City both ended in defeat, and Norwich failed to score at Stoke.
That inconsistency away from home stands in stark contrast to their comfort at Carrow Road. Teesside is the real credibility test for the Canaries. Middlesbrough are waiting.
Expected Middlesbrough XI : Vitek ; Phillips, Malanda, Borges ; Brittain, Berhalter, Morris, Arfsten ; Joseph, McGree, Lankshear
Expected Norwich City XI : Kovacevic ; Fisher, McConville, Cordoba, Chrisene ; McLean, Mattson, Brooks, Ben Slimane, Musaba ; Toure
Football Prediction Middlesbrough vs Norwich City
Our prediction : Middlesbrough to win
Three home games, three wins, six goals scored and two conceded: the Riverside has been a fortress from day one. Norwich have not won there since November 2020.
Nine straight head-to-heads without defeat for Boro is no fluke. Lankshear’s return, with five goals in three home games, only strengthens the case.
Norwich did show at Bramall Lane that they can win on the ground of a direct rival. Fair point. But it is up against a nine-game unbeaten run for Middlesbrough in this fixture.
So the call is Middlesbrough to win. A side that has not lost back-to-back matches for more than nine months, and is back at full strength after a cup rotation, looks well placed to kick on.
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