Premier League: Middlesbrough vs Liverpool preview

Liverpool will be looking to get back to winning ways when they visit newly-promoted Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium on Wednesday. The two teams have not met in the Premier League since the 2008-2009 season, when Middlesbrough beat Liverpool 2-0 at home and lost 2-1 at Anfield Road. The most recent encounter was in the League Cup in 2014, when Liverpool prevailed 3-2 but they clinched that victory after a penalty shoot-out. Liverpool have not won at the Riverside Stadium since 2002. Middlesbrough are just three points above the relegation zone after winning just three of fifteen matches so far this season. They have been tough to beat however, they rarely conceded more than two goals in a match and let in three goals on just one occasion. They have conceded just 16 goals so far this season, which is less than Liverpool's 20. The difference is that Liverpool scored no less than 37 times so far, while Middlesbrough found the back of the net just 13 times. Gaston Ramirez is still injured, but Alvaro Negredo and George Friend might recover in time. Liverpool seemed to be heading towards a solid title challenge, they had an impressive unbeaten streak and some great wins to be proud of. That run came to an abrupt end two weeks ago, when they threw away a 3-1 lead and lost 4-3 at Bournemouth. Last week they had to fight back to secure a 2-2 draw at home against West Ham, so a victory at Middlesbrough is desperately needed in order to restore some confidence. Philippe Coutinho is still injured, while Daniel Sturridge, Emre Can and Dejan Lovren are all fitness doubts ahead of Wednesday's game. Probable line-ups: Middlesbrough: Valdes - Barragan, Chambers, Gibson, Fabio - Traore, Roon, Clayton, Forshaw, Downing - Negredo Liverpool: Karius - Clyne, Klavan, Matip, Milner - Lallana, Henderson, Wijnaldum - Mane, Origi, Firmino My prediction: Liverpool to win 2-0. Here are the odds for the match at Bet365: Middlesbrough win - 6.00 Draw - 4.20 Liverpool win - 1.60