Middlesbrough will be reeling after a 0-3 reversal against Liverpool at the Riverside Stadium. The fact that Liverpool had last defeated Middlesbrough at their home in 2002 and along with this statistic the manner in which Aitor Karanka has set up his side against the big teams this season gave hope to many that Boro could possibly cause a major upset against Liverpool. The Reds have been missing Coutinho and Sturridge and had Simon Mignolet in goal. A keeper who has been put under severe scrutiny and who had his confidence low. But things transpired as one would have thought if asked before the start of the season. Boro being a newly-promoted side and Liverpool being headed by an all-action manager in Jurgen Klopp. Coutinho’s absence hardly made any difference and Liverpool made merry at Teesside.
A comfortable 1-0 lead in the first half saw Klopp try out a different formation and work around with his tactics for a while. Origi and Lallana added a goal apiece to add to the opener by the latter in the 1st half. Liverpool will thus head into Monday’s Merseyside Derby with their tails up while Middlesbrough will be looking to get their act together against Swansea, a fixture, they should be winning to have any chance of finishing in a respectable position in the table.
PREDICTED MIDDLESBROUGH XI VS SWANSEA CITY (4-3-3)
DEFENCE
Victor Valdes will be in goal and after an extremely busy night will be hopeful of a quieter match against Swansea City. He had begun to settle in well and can be a crucial factor with his experience and leadership qualities at the back. Antonio Barragan will be at right-back and will have to deal with the threat of Routledge. Chambers and Gibson will be looking to put the Liverpool thrashing behind them and carry on with their recent solid displays at the heart of defence. George Friend is unlikely to be fit in time for the match which will see Fabio deputise once more.
MIDFIELD
The midfield trio failed to work against the Reds but they had been excellent prior to that. While the formation did take away their attacking edge, it lent solidity to the team. Adam Forshaw, Adam Clayton and record signing Marten De Roon will be stationed in midfield.
ATTACK
Ramirez is unlikely to be fit in time which might see Viktor Fischer continue on the left-flank with Adama Traore lining up on the right-side. Traore has looked unstoppable at times but needs to get his decision-making right. Negredo will be leading the line.
