National cups are something special for many teams and supporters. Today's match will decide whether it's Middlesbrough or Brighton & Hove Albion that keep their silverware dream alive.
There has not been much time to rest for the guests, as they played a Premier League game only four days ago. That game was also an away game, at Everton. It will be interesting to see if they are fully ready and rested for this match, and/or if some changes in the lineup is necessary.
Middlesbrough form and stats
Middlesbrough participated in FA Cup the last season, where they reached the quarter-finals.5 victories, 5 draws and 2 defeats. That’s what Middlesbrough have to build on here at Riverside Stadium in the Championship.
Happy days for Middlesbrough in their previous game, a fixture away at Birmingham City that ended with a 3-1 victory. Crooks, an attacker, was the top player for the side in that fixture, receiving a rating of 9.43 (out of 10). Crooks scored two goals, served one assist, hit two key passes and dribled past the opponent 3 of 3 times.
Before that match, a Championship win away at Blackburn Rovers.Middlesbrough are certainly not overdoing their scoring at home in league matches, having created 17 goals in 12 games.
Brighton & Hove Albion form and stats
Brighton was sent out of FA Cup in the 4th round last season.The story so far for the visiting team on their Premier League travels is 5 wins, 1 draw and 3 defeats.
Two away matches in a row for Brighton & Hove Albion, whose coach Zerbi could celebrate last time after the win against Everton. March got a match rating of 8.15 in that game, top player of the team. March scored one goal, hit one key pass, dribled past the opponent 1 of 2 times and had 24 successful passes (of 26 total).
A loss against Arsenal was the result prior to that, in a Premier League home game.The Brighton & Hove Albion manager Zerbi has got the team scoring on the road, with 19 away goals in 9 league matches. Brighton's defence is not exactly unbeatable as they have conceded 15 goals from these trips.
Head 2 Head
Middlesbrough-Brighton & Hove Albion H2H statistics last ten meetings regardless of arena: Middlesbrough four wins, Brighton & Hove Albion three wins, three draws. two of these ten matches had three or more goals (over 2,5).
Top Goalscorers
  C. Akpom 13 goals |  M. Crooks 6 goals | D. Watmore 5 goals |
Middlesbrough missing players
Brighton & Hove Albion missing players
| Middlesbrough | Brighton & Hove Albion | ||||||
| Total | Home | Statistics | Stat | Away | Total | ||
| 25 | 11 | Played | P | 15 | 25 | ||
| 12 | 5 | Won | W | 9 | 13 | ||
| 5 | 4 | Drew | D | 3 | 5 | ||
| 8 | 2 | Lost | L | 3 | 7 | ||
| 40 | 16 | Scored | S | 33 | 51 | ||
| 29 | 11 | Conceded | C | 20 | 32 | ||
| 92% | 82% | Over 0.5 | O 0.5 | 93% | 88% | ||
| 76% | 64% | Over 1.5 | O 1.5 | 93% | 76% | ||
| 64% | 55% | Over 2.5 | O 2.5 | 80% | 68% | ||
| 32% | 27% | Over 3.5 | O 3.5 | 53% | 48% | ||
| 12% | 18% | Over 4.5 | O 4.5 | 27% | 32% | ||
| 64% | 64% | BTTS | BTTS | 73% | 64% | ||
| 24% | 36% | Clean Sheets | C S | 20% | 24% | ||
| 20% | 18% | Failed to Score | F T | 13% | 24% | ||
| 6 | 6.5 | Corners for (avg) | C F | 4.9 | 5.6 | ||
| 3.9 | 4.4 | Corners against (avg) | C A | 4.5 | 3.7 | ||
| 2.2 | 2.4 | Yellow cards (avg) | Y C | 0.9 | 1.2 | ||
| 0 | 0 | Red cards | R C | 0 | 0 | ||
| 12.4 | 12.5 | Shots (avg) | S ( | 12.4 | 12.8 | ||
| 3.9 | 4.3 | Shots on Target (avg) | S O | 4.9 | 5 | ||
| 40% | 34% | Goal Efficiency | G E | 45% | 41% | ||
| 9.2 | 7.9 | Shots against (avg) | S A | 10.9 | 9.6 | ||
| 3.4 | 2.9 | Shots on Target against (avg) | S O | 3.5 | 3.3 | ||
| Total | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||||
| # | Team | MP | W | D | L | F | A | MP | W | D | L | F | A | MP | W | D | L | F | A | +/- | P |
| 1 | Burnley | 26 | 16 | 8 | 2 | 52 | 25 | 13 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 29 | 11 | 13 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 23 | 14 | 27 | 56 |
| 2 | Sheffield United | 26 | 15 | 6 | 5 | 44 | 23 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 26 | 12 | 14 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 18 | 11 | 21 | 51 |
| 3 | Blackburn Rovers | 26 | 14 | 0 | 12 | 30 | 30 | 13 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 20 | 13 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 10 | 17 | 0 | 42 |
| 4 | Watford | 26 | 11 | 7 | 8 | 31 | 28 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 17 | 12 | 14 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 14 | 16 | 3 | 40 |
| 5 | Middlesbrough | 26 | 11 | 6 | 9 | 41 | 33 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 17 | 12 | 14 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 24 | 21 | 8 | 39 |
| 6 | Millwall | 25 | 11 | 6 | 8 | 32 | 26 | 13 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 20 | 8 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 6 | 39 |
| 7 | Luton Town | 25 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 31 | 26 | 12 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 15 | 13 | 5 | 39 |
| 8 | Sunderland | 26 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 38 | 29 | 12 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 16 | 13 | 14 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 22 | 16 | 9 | 38 |
| 9 | West Bromwich Albion | 26 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 34 | 26 | 14 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 20 | 14 | 12 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 14 | 12 | 8 | 38 |
| 10 | Preston North End | 26 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 24 | 26 | 13 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 16 | 12 | -2 | 37 |
| 11 | Norwich City | 26 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 32 | 29 | 14 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 19 | 16 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 13 | 13 | 3 | 36 |
| 12 | Queens Park Rangers | 26 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 28 | 31 | 13 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 16 | 17 | 13 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 12 | 14 | -3 | 36 |
| 13 | Reading | 26 | 11 | 3 | 12 | 29 | 36 | 12 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 18 | 12 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 24 | -7 | 36 |
| 14 | Coventry City | 25 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 27 | 26 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 15 | 10 | 12 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 12 | 16 | 1 | 35 |
| 15 | Swansea City | 26 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 36 | 36 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 20 | 16 | 13 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 16 | 20 | 0 | 35 |
| 16 | Hull City | 26 | 9 | 6 | 11 | 32 | 42 | 13 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 13 | 22 | 13 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 19 | 20 | -10 | 33 |
| 17 | Birmingham City | 26 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 27 | 29 | 14 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 17 | 16 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 13 | -2 | 32 |
| 18 | Stoke City | 26 | 8 | 6 | 12 | 28 | 34 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 13 | 18 | 13 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 15 | 16 | -6 | 30 |
| 19 | Bristol City | 26 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 32 | 35 | 13 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 18 | 21 | -3 | 29 |
| 20 | Cardiff City | 26 | 7 | 7 | 12 | 20 | 29 | 13 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 18 | -9 | 28 |
| 21 | Rotherham United | 26 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 28 | 39 | 12 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 20 | 17 | 14 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 22 | -11 | 27 |
| 22 | Blackpool | 26 | 6 | 8 | 12 | 28 | 38 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 19 | 13 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 14 | 19 | -10 | 26 |
| 23 | Huddersfield Town | 25 | 7 | 4 | 14 | 24 | 32 | 14 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 13 | 14 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 11 | 18 | -8 | 25 |
| 24 | Wigan Athletic | 26 | 6 | 6 | 14 | 26 | 46 | 14 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 11 | 28 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 15 | 18 | -20 | 24 |
| Total | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||||
| # | Team | MP | W | D | L | F | A | MP | W | D | L | F | A | MP | W | D | L | F | A | +/- | P |
| 1 | Arsenal | 17 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 40 | 14 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 6 | 26 | 44 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 16 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 44 | 16 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 31 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 6 | 28 | 36 |
| 3 | Newcastle United | 18 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 32 | 11 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 17 | 5 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 15 | 6 | 21 | 35 |
| 4 | Manchester United | 17 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 27 | 20 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 4 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 16 | 7 | 35 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 17 | 9 | 3 | 5 | 33 | 25 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 21 | 13 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 30 |
| 6 | Liverpool | 17 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 34 | 22 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 23 | 9 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 28 |
| 7 | Fulham | 18 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 30 | 27 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 16 | 14 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 14 | 13 | 3 | 28 |
| 8 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 17 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 32 | 25 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 19 | 15 | 7 | 27 |
| 9 | Brentford | 18 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 30 | 28 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 18 | 10 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 12 | 18 | 2 | 26 |
| 10 | Chelsea | 16 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 20 | 18 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 6 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 2 | 25 |
| 11 | Crystal Palace | 16 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 17 | 21 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 11 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 10 | -4 | 22 |
| 12 | Aston Villa | 17 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 19 | 25 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 16 | -6 | 21 |
| 13 | Leicester City | 18 | 5 | 2 | 11 | 26 | 31 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 17 | 21 | -5 | 17 |
| 14 | Leeds United | 16 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 23 | 29 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 12 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 17 | -6 | 16 |
| 15 | AFC Bournemouth | 18 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 18 | 39 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 29 | -21 | 16 |
| 16 | Everton | 18 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 14 | 24 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 12 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 12 | -10 | 15 |
| 17 | West Ham United | 17 | 4 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 22 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 12 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 10 | -9 | 14 |
| 18 | Nottingham Forest | 17 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 12 | 34 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 12 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 22 | -22 | 14 |
| 19 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 17 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 10 | 26 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 14 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 12 | -16 | 13 |
| 20 | Southampton | 17 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 15 | 32 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 15 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 17 | -17 | 12 |
- Middlesbrough FC
- Teesside Live - (local newspaper)
- The Northern Echo - (local newspaper)
- Brighton & Hove Albion
- The Argus - (local newspaper)
