Wrexham vs Middlesbrough Championship preview, team news and prediction

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Wrexham welcome Middlesbrough on Saturday afternoon knowing a win could be enough to seal a Championship playoff place . The hosts start the weekend sixth, while fourth-placed Boro still need maximum points to keep their slim automatic-promotion hopes alive.

The season ends with Boro the slight favourites going into this at 7/5 with BetGoodwin while Wrexham are 13/8 with William Hill to grab all three points and a draw is 13/5 with Betfred . The bookies also have Wrexham priced at 11/8 to secure a top 6 spot and reach the play-offs while the visitors, already guaranteed a play-off spot, still have a 33/1 outside chance of securing an automatic spot if results go their way involving Ipswich Town and Millwall.

Wrexham have lost three of their last five and went down 3-1 to champions Coventry City last time out, but Phil Parkinson’s side know victory at the Racecourse Ground would put them in a strong position to hold on to sixth. The margins are tight, though: a narrow win could leave them vulnerable to Hull City, while a draw or defeat could open the door for Derby County, with head-to-head factors also potentially coming into play.

Parkinson will be urging focus on Wrexham’s own performance, especially at home, where they have won four of their last six league games, including two 2-0 victories in their last three. Defensive frailties remain a concern, however, with only two sides conceding more home goals.

Middlesbrough arrive after two must-win results, including a 5-1 thumping of Watford, leaving them two points off second-placed Ipswich Town and one behind third-placed Millwall. With an inferior goal difference to Ipswich, Kim Hellberg’s team need to beat Wrexham and hope Ipswich lose to QPR and Millwall slip up against Oxford United.

Boro are unbeaten in five away matches but have drawn their last three, including back-to-back 2-2s at Swansea City and Ipswich. Even so, they boast the division’s third-best away record.

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Despite the defeat at Coventry, Phil Parkinson is not expected to make major changes to his Wrexham side. Lewis O’Brien and Kieffer Moore are the leading candidates to come back in, potentially at the expense of Matty James and Sam Smith, while Liberato Cacace and Zak Vyner remain ruled out.

For Middlesbrough, Tommy Conway could be restored to the starting XI in place of Jeremy Sarmiento. Kim Hellberg also has a decision to make at left-back between Alex Bangura and Matt Targett, with both having their minutes carefully managed. Riley McGree is still a fitness doubt, as is Hayden Hackney, who has been sidelined since March 14 with a calf problem.

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