How does Middlesbrough's xG total compare to their Championship rivals?

An inability to take chances has cost Middlesbrough in recent weeks, leaving them under pressure in the race for Premier League promotion.

Though Kim Hellberg’s men twice found the net against Swansea City last time out, they’d failed to score in two of their previous four fixtures and had only managed a single goal in the other two.

That’s despite Boro vastly outshooting their opponents by a staggering 126 to 37 across those five matches combined, during which they took just three points and failed to win. That run has seen the Teessiders slip to third in the table, behind Ipswich Town on goal difference having played two games extra.

But where does it leave Boro in the expected goals (xG) stakes compared to their Championship rivals?

Middlesbrough’s xG compared to Championship rivals

Coventry City: 77.2
Southampton: 66.8
Ipswich Town: 66.4
Sheffield United: 63.5
Middlesbrough: 61.9
Millwall: 57.0
Birmingham City: 55.8
Norwich City: 54.7
Hull City: 53.2
Watford: 51.8
Wrexham: 50.7
West Bromwich Albion: 50.6
Blackburn Rovers: 50.6
Derby County: 49.7
Bristol City: 49.2
Queens Park Rangers: 49.0
Stoke City: 46.4
Leicester City: 46.2
Oxford United: 45.6
Portsmouth: 45.5
Preston North End: 45.3
Swansea City: 44.8
Charlton Athletic: 42.8
Sheffield Wednesday: 34.7

According to FotMob, Middlesbrough are fifth in the Championship right now for xG on 61.9, leaving them behind the current top two of Coventry City (77.2) and Ipswich (66.4), as well as Southampton (66.8) and Sheffield United (63.5).

Boro are second in the Championship for shots attempted (659), behind only Coventry (671), but trail the Sky Blues, Southampton and Ipswich for shots on target (194).

The disparity between shots attempted and xG, and the number of shots off target, suggests that Hellberg’s side have no problem getting the ball into the final third - hardly surprising with the likes of Hayden Hackney and Aidan Morris around - but struggle to carve out dangerous opportunities once they get there.

There’s no doubt that Boro have also been hurt by the lack of a clinical goalscorer through the middle, with winger Morgan Whittaker the only player at the Riverside Stadium to hit double figures this season (11).

Boro will look to put away their chances and get back to winning ways when they host relegation-threatened Portsmouth this Saturday, before they travel to Ipswich on April 19th in a must-win clash at the top of the Championship table.

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