Wolves make the long trip to Teeside tomorrow hoping to extend our impressive six match unbeaten run at the Riverside.
Our hosts, to many people’s surprise, find themselves 2 places below their visitors, having accrued just eight points from their ten games this season.
However, it is not a game that Wolves will dare to underestimate.
Middlesbrough may have not started well but they do have a core of quality players in the team that are capable of turning the game in their favour.
Boro’s problem has been scoring goals. Seven to date with their two victories being returned from narrow 1-0 victories at home to Everton and away at Southampton.
Last week they were involved in a 0-0 draw at Spurs that made for rather painful viewing on Sky, but they were the better of the two sides.
On Wednesday they edged out Wigan 2-1, but the Sky News commentators were less than complimentary about the striking pairing of Maccarone and Ricketts.
The usual pairing of Christie and Nemeth seems to be stuttering so it remains to be seen whom Steve McClaren will choose to tackle the Wolves defence.
The main threat to Wolves comes from the Boro midfield.
Mendieta and Juninho have the tricks and passes to kill off any team on their day. However, Boro tinker with their midfield and have played the more defence minded Boateng and Doriva in recent league games.
Perhaps Boro’s starting eleven will give the travelling fans an impression of what Boro are expecting from the game. If both Mendieta and Juninho start then they are looking for all three points.
As for Wolves, well it seems likely that we’ll have a squad minus Newton and Kachloul. Ince will return from an infection and will be a welcome boost to tackle the playmaker’s trickery. I expect Ince to replace Gudjonnson in the centre. Kennedy will start on the bench and Wolves will employ a 3 man central midfield.
What I don’t want to see is Kenny Miller once again starting out wide on the right of midfield as the team’s shape in the first half of the Leicester game was lopsided.
I’d prefer it if we went 4-4-2 and push onto the Boro defence. With Mills always looking for an overlap then there will be holes to exploit at the back of Boro’s defence.
Therefore, I reckon Jones will go with the same back 5, Rae, Cameron, Camara, Ince in the middle with Blake and Miller up front.
If Jones goes 1 up front then it would seem likely that Kennedy would replace Miller, Sparky on the left and Camara on the right to support the lone striker Blake up front.
It’s a game that can be won.
But I feel that the team and the fans will be more than satisfied with a point and the extension of the recent good form.
Wolves, we are told, will be wearing the unnecessary black change kit tomorrow. As to how all red and gold/black clash I’m not sure.
I’m hoping for a draw, fingers crossed!
E-mail me with any comments/feedback to
dave@wolves-mad.co.uk