Middlesbrough's xG compared to Oxford United and other Championship rivals
How does Middlesbrough's Expected Goals total compare to their Championship rivals?
Even after Monday’s devastating 3-1 defeat to Coventry City, Middlesbrough still look primed for promotion back to the Premier League.
The Sky Blues leapfrogged Boro back to the top of the Championship table, ending a six-game winning streak in league play for Kim Hellberg’s side in the process. However, Boro are still second, five points clear of Millwall with just 14 games remaining.
Boro’s run so far has undoubtedly been built on a strong defensive record, with only Ipswich Town (29) and Stoke City (29) conceding fewer goals (33) so far. That being said, Middlesbrough’s attacking output hasn’t exactly been poor either, with their 50 goals the third most in the division. Those goals have been converted from a total 40.6 Expected Goals (per FotMob), showing excellent finishing efficiency in the box. But how does that xG compare to the rest of the Championship?
Championship Expected Goals table: Where do Middlesbrough stand?
- Coventry City - 60.3
- Southampton - 54.5
- Ipswich Town - 52.2
- Sheffield United - 50.1
- Birmingham City - 48.4
- Millwall - 44.8
- Hull City - 41.0
- Norwich City - 41.0
- Middlesbrough - 40.6
- Bristol City - 40.3
- Wrexham - 40.0
- Watford - 40.0
- Blackburn Rovers - 39.3
- Queens Park Rangers - 38.2
- West Bromwich Albion - 37.1
- Portsmouth - 35.8
- Preston North End - 35.2
- Leicester City - 34.4
- Derby County - 34.0
- Swansea City - 33.7
- Charlton Athletic - 32.6
- Stoke City - 32.1
- Oxford United - 31.9
- Sheffield Wednesday 27.4
Boro’s 40.6 xG is ninth in the Championship, so while by no means poor, it’s only just above the league average of 42.0. Thankfully, Luke Ayling, Matt Targett and Co at the back have provided an excellent defensive platform, while Boro have spread the goals around with Morgan Whittaker the only player with double-figure goals on 11. Despite the lack of standout individual goalscorers, Hellberg’s side have been one of the most ruthless in the league when it comes to finishing.
Middlesbrough’s 2025/26 Championship goalscorers
- Morgan Whittaker - 11
- Tommy Conway - 7
- Hayden Hackney - 4
- Riley McGree - 4
- Alan Browne - 3
- David Strelec - 3
- Dael Fry - 2
- Delano Burgzorg - 2
- Kaly Sene -2
- Matt Targett - 2
- Samuel Silvera - 2
- Alex Gilbert - 1
- Alfie Jones - 1
- Luke Ayling - 1
- Sontje Hansen - 1
It’s unsurprising seeing Coventry top the xG charts on 60.3, with Frank Lampard’s men outperforming that to net 66 goals - at least 15 more than any other Championship team. The Sky Blues have three players on double-figure goals, the standout being Haji Wright on 13 following his hat-trick against Middlesbrough on Monday. Only Swansea City’s Zan Vipotnik (15) has more goals than Wright, accounting for 39.47% of the Welsh side’s league goals this season.
Boro will hope to dramatically increase their xG and actual goals scored tallies on Saturday when they host Oxford United, who are second-bottom in the Championship with the second-lowest xG (31.9) and actual goals scored (28).
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