Cardiff v Middlesbrough: Back Bluebirds to end losing streak

Cardiff fall short at Fulham

Cardiff fell to a seventh successive defeat on Wednesday night as the Bluebirds suffered a 2-0 loss at high-flying Fulham, putting manager Mick McCarthy under serious pressure in the hot-seat. Despite a spirited start and a new-look system, the capital club were unable to halt the Cottagers juggernaut, conceding twice inside four second-half minutes.

During that seven-game spell, Cardiff have scored just once and conceded 17 goals. At Craven Cottage, the Bluebirds created opportunities and hit the woodwork during the first 45 minutes. However, the visitors lacked the final-ball or clinical edge to really hurt their hosts, managing to land only two of their 15 overall attempts on-target.

Cardiff started with a back-four with captain Sean Morrison dropping to the bench. Perry Ng and Joel Bagan were brought back in from the cold to add width and some sort of attacking presence down the flanks, while Mark McGuinness was moved into a more central position. There was a return for Sam Bowen in midfield, while Rubin Colwill was also given the nod.

McCarthy said, "We've come back in off a bad defeat against Swansea, we've certainly had a better performance and I'll be doing exactly the same for Middlesbrough until I'm told differently. If we perform like that against other teams then we'll win games, but I'm afraid Fulham were too good and too strong for us."

Middlesbrough pick up second successive success

Middlesbrough weren't completely convincing on Wednesday night but the Teessiders secured a 2-0 success over Barnsley at the Riverside to move up to 10th in the Championship table. Boro lived dangerously at times, although goals from Andraz Sporar and Matt Crooks secured the points and back-to-back league victories for the first time this season.

After a sloppy start and a collection of individual errors, Middlesbrough grew into the game and largely dominated proceedings, while also missing a hatful of chances. Speaking post-match, manager Neil Warnock said, "They put me through the ringer. We should have had a couple of more goals shouldn't we? We should have won it easier but we didn't."

Warnock made two changes to the side that beat Peterborough last weekend as Isaiah Jones and Lee Peltier started ahead of Onel Hernandez and Uche Ikpeazu. The Boro boss also tweaked the formation, moving from three-at-the-back to a 4-4-2 with Jonny Howson moving to right-back and Marcus Tavernier and Jones playing out wide.

Last chance for McCarthy?

Both of last season's meetings between Cardiff and Middlesbrough concluded in 1-1 draws. Those two stalemates extend an impressive recent run for the Bluebirds over Boro, with the Welsh outfit now suffering a solitary reverse in eight recent head-to-head meetings (W5-D2-L1). City have returned W4-D1-L1 against the Teessiders here over the past 10 years.

Cardiff 2.568/5 early season promise has given way since late August as the Bluebirds have suffered eight league losses in nine and are looking to avoid eight defeats on the bounce. Mick McCarthy's charges are underperforming against expectations and underlying metrics and it's believed this is the manager's last chance to arrest the club's concerning slide.

Middlesbrough 3.1085/40 have collected three successive 2-0 triumphs at the Riverside in their most recent four fixtures to move into the top-half of the Championship. Warnock has been battling a long injury list in recent weeks, yet Boro have remained reasonably competitive. However, the Teessiders have toiled on their travels (W1-D2-L3) thus far.

Bluebirds can end losing streak

Cardiff have fired blanks in six of their past seven Championship contests, scoring once - from a set-piece situation - in almost 11 hours of league football. With the Bluebirds bereft of confidence in the final-third, McCarthy's charges have also failed to hold firm defensively, recording just one clean sheet across their opening 13 encounters this term.

Middlesbrough's matches have rarely been goal-heavy. Just three of Boro's matches have beaten the Over 2.5 Goals 2.226/5 with Warnock getting a tune out of his undermanned rearguard. The Teessiders have silenced four of their last seven opponents, and have shipped fewer than two goals in seven of their most recent 10 Championship clashes.

In a tricky game to call, it may pay to support under-fire hosts at the prices. Cardiff can be backed at 1.804/5 with a +0 start on the Asian Handicap line, returning a push should the match end all-square. Middlesbrough's unconvincing road record, plus Cardiff's improved efforts of late (excluding the derby) suggest they're at least capable of avoiding defeat.