We can envisage a tight game between these teams, with neither heading into the encounter in good form at all despite Blackburn's superior position in the table.
Both sides generally line-up in 3-5-2 formations, which could make it difficult to find space in between the lines for the more talented players on the pitch, potentially favouring Middlesbrough in front of their home support.
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Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Middlesbrough win with a probability of 57.47%. A draw had a probability of 25.3% and a win for Blackburn Rovers had a probability of 17.26%.
The most likely scoreline for a Middlesbrough win was 1-0 with a probability of 15.74%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (12.36%) and 2-1 (9.02%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (11.48%), while for a Blackburn Rovers win it was 0-1 (7.32%). The actual scoreline of 1-2 was predicted with a 4.2% likelihood.
0.02) 
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