Middlesbrough's brilliant defensive exploits at home spells danger for a Leeds side who have just lost their way a tad in recent weeks, and Carrick's men have performed admirably in the face of injury-related adversity.
There should be no let-up from the hosts while the playoffs remain a mathematical possibility - albeit a highly slim one - but the win they require to keep those hopes alive may elude them. Still, Boro should back themselves to take a point from an ailing Leeds as the Whites miss the chance to rise above the automatic line.
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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 Leeds United win with a probability of 43.63%. A win for Middlesbrough had a probability of 32.44% and a draw had a probability of 23.9%.
The most likely scoreline for a Leeds United win was 1-2 with a probability of 9.05%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-1 (7.92%) and 0-2 (6.51%). The likeliest Middlesbrough win was 2-1 (7.64%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (10.99%). The actual scoreline of 3-4 was predicted with a 0.7% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Leeds United would win this match.