Sheffield Wednesday will be looking to end their 2019-20 Championship campaign on a high when they play host to Middlesbrough this Wednesday for the final round of fixtures.
Middlesbrough are still at risk of relegation with just one game left to go, but it seems highly unlikely that Boro will go down at this very late stage.
Match preview
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Sheffield Wednesday played out an eight-goal thriller with promotion-chasing Fulham at the weekend, but the Owls eventually came out on the wrong end of the scoreline as Fulham stormed to a 5-3 victory at Craven Cottage.
Wednesday are already assured of their safety and have little to play for with one game remaining, but the second half of the season has ultimately been a bitter disappointment for Garry Monk and his players.
Indeed, the Owls sat as high as third after 23 games this season, but Wednesday have since slipped further and further down the table and now occupy 16th spot before the final day.
Monk's men can rise three places in the table to finish 13th should results go their way in midweek, but Wednesday are still searching for their first victory on home soil since the Championship returned to action.
While the lack of fans was sure to affect the players as they stepped out into an empty stadium, Wednesday had hardly fared any better at Hillsbrough before the shutdown - winning just one of their six home games of 2020 prior to the postponement.
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Meanwhile, Middlesbrough have not guaranteed Championship survival just yet as they were comfortably swept aside 3-1 by playoff hopefuls Cardiff City on Saturday.
Britt Assombalonga hit double figures for the league campaign at the weekend, but his late free-kick proved nothing more than a mere consolation for Neil Warnock's men, who had Jonny Howson sent off in the dying minutes.
Boro currently lie in 19th with a 50-point haul to show from their 45 games this season and sit two points above the dotted line - with victories over Stoke City, Millwall and Reading since the restart helping to distance themselves from the dreaded bottom three.
In order for Boro to be relegated now, Warnock's men would have to lose while Birmingham City, Luton Town and Charlton Athletic all pick up victories, but it is difficult to see the latter taking all three points away to champions Leeds United, so Boro fans should be able to look ahead to another season in the second tier.
However, a first-half display of attacking prowess saw Wednesday walk away from the Riverside with all three points in a 4-1 victory back in September.
Wednesday Championship form: LLLWDL
Middlesbrough Championship form: LLWLWL
Team News
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Wednesday's Kieran Lee was forced to miss out once again for the trip to Fulham, but Monk has expressed his optimism over the midfielder's availability for the final day.
A return for Lee in the starting lineup could see Joey Pelupessy drop down to the bench, while Jacob Murphy and Atdhe Nuhiu will be hoping that their contributions at Craven Cottage will see them earn a start here.
Steven Fletcher remains out the hosts, though, while defender Osaze Urhoghide will not feature again before next season either.
As for Middlesbrough, Warnock is facing a selection dilemma in midfield when it comes to replacing the suspended Howson.
Patrick McNair is an option for the Boro manager having come off the bench at the weekend, but fellow midfielder Adam Clayton has struggled for game time under Warnock.
Wednesday possible starting lineup:
Wildsmith; Palmer, Iorfa, Borner; Murphy, Lee, Luongo, Bannan, Harris; Nuhiu, Wickham
Middlesbrough possible starting lineup:
Pears; Dijksteel, Fry, Friend, Coulson; McNair, Saville; Spence, Wing, Tavernier; Assombalonga
We say: Sheffield Wednesday 1-2 Middlesbrough
Warnock has done well to lift Boro further up the table and the Teesiders should not suffer relegation now. Wednesday do not inspire much confidence at home, so we are backing Boro to secure their safety with a slender victory on the final day.
Ben Knapton
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Middlesbrough win with a probability of 42.89%. A win for Sheffield Wednesday had a probability of 30.38% and a draw had a probability of 26.7%.
The most likely scoreline for a Middlesbrough win was 0-1 with a probability of 11.35%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.76%) and 0-2 (7.84%). The likeliest Sheffield Wednesday win was 1-0 (9.19%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.68%). The actual scoreline of 1-2 was predicted with an 8.8% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Middlesbrough would win this match.
