Burnley vs Middlesbrough Preview and Prediction

Burnley vs Middlesbrough Preview and Prediction

Newly-promoted teams Burnley FC (5-10-2, 17 points) and Middlesbrough FC (4-7-6, 18 points) are scheduled to square off at the Turf Moor on Monday, Dec. 26 as the 2016-2017 Premier League season moves forward.
Start Time and Streaming Info

The game starts at 10:00 a.m. ET. It can be viewed live
Burnley and Middlesbrough are struggling in their English top flight campaigns this season as the two teams are both in the bottom half of the Premier League standings at the moment.
Burnley, last season’s Football League Championship winners, has lost five of their last six games to drop to the 16th spot of the current league table, only three points above the bottom three relegation area.
The Clarets are coming off a 1-2 defeat in the hands of fifth-place squad Tottenham Hotspur on the road at the White Hart Lane last Sunday for their second consecutive loss, as per SkySports.
Austrian striker Ashley Barnes opened the scoring in the 21st minute for head coach Sean Dyche’s squad, but the hosts were able to net the next two goals to pull off the come-from-behind victory.
Spurs midfielder Dele Alli equalized the count in the 27th minute before defender Danny Rose was able to grab the lead in the 71st to seal the game.
Meanwhile, Middlesbrough has also been winless in four of their last six outings to fall to the 14th place in the overall standings, one point ahead of Burnley and four points above the relegation zone.
However, the Boro pulled off a 3-0 rout of bottom three team Swansea City during their most recent fixture last Saturday at their home field of Riverside Stadium to snap a two-game losing slide, Sports Mole reported.
Spanish striker Alvaro Negredo was the man of the match for head coach Aitor Karanka’s squad as he netted a brace in the 18th and 29th minutes to give the hosts a 2-0 lead at the break.
Dutch midfielder Marten de Roon added another one in the 58th minute to complete Middlesbrough’s three-goal haul.
Prediction and Predicted Lineup
The predicted result is a close 2-1 decision for Middlesbrough.
Burnley starting lineup (4-4-1-1 formation): Heaton; Ward, Mee, Lowton, Keane; Arfield, Hendrick, Boyd, Marney; Gray; Barnes
Middlesbrough starting lineup (4-3-3 formation): Valdes; Da Silva, Gibson, Chambers, Barragan; Forshaw, de Roon, Clayton; Fischer, Ramirez, Negredo