Middlesbrough FC have reason to bounce back after Portsmouth - it involves Leeds & Burnley | OneFootball

Middlesbrough have enjoyed a strong start to the campaign, but suffered their first loss of the season at Pompey before the international break.

Middlesbrough FC have been one of the teams to beat during the early stages of the 2025/26 Championship season.

It was a summer of change at the Riverside, after Michael Carrick was axed from his head coach position following a lacklustre 2024/25 campaign, where he failed to record a play-off finish for the second-straight year.

In came Rob Edwards, who two years earlier had pulled off the magnificent feat of taking Luton Town into the Premier League, before almost keeping them there the following term.

Edwards was relieved of his duties at Kenilworth Road after the Hatters continued to struggle in the Championship and was selected as the man to lead Boro forward this season.

Out went top operators such as Finn Azaz and Rav van den Berg, with smart additions such as Callum Brittain, Alfie Jones and Alan Browne adding quality depth to the Middlesbrough squad.

The North East outfit began the season on a roll, winning five of their first six league encounters to establish themselves as the Championship’s early pacesetters.

Hayden Hackney, Tommy Conway and Kaly Sene have provided a consistent attacking threat, allowing Boro to pick up 18 points from their first nine matches.

Middlesbrough’s brilliant form has slowly halted in recent times, however, with Edwards’ side failing to win in their last three matches leading into the October international break.

Points against Southampton and Stoke City aren’t terrible results, especially when considering how strong the Potters have been thus far, but a first defeat of the campaign away at Portsmouth was the first major slip-up from Boro.

This has allowed Coventry City to assume control of the Championship heading into the October international break, which isn’t something Edwards will be overjoyed about.

That said, a trend from last season should give Boro hope that they can bounce back after the international break.

After picking up two points from their last three games, Middlesbrough have let their early-season advantage at the top of the table slip and are now behind Coventry City in the standings.

However, a trend that appeared last season will give Boro hope that they can still enjoy great success throughout the rest of the current campaign.

Leeds United and Burnley were promoted from the Championship last term, with both sides recording 100 points.

However, they both failed to win away at Portsmouth, highlighting how tough an environment Fratton Park is to take three points away from.

Pompey bested Leeds 1-0 thanks to a Colby Bishop strike, whilst they held Burnley to a 0-0 draw to pick up four points against the division's top two sides.

The South Coast side had 18 shots against a Clarets defence highly-regarded as one of the Championship's toughest ever units, which shows once again just how strong their home advantage can be.

Dropped Fratton Park points didn’t prevent either one of Burnley or Leeds from securing promotion to the Premier League though, which should give Boro some peace of mind over their recent defeat.

Portsmouth are one of the hardest teams to beat away from home, emphasised by their brilliant record there last season.

Pompey took points from 18 of their 23 games at Fratton Park during the 2024/25 campaign, winning 40 of their 54 points on home soil: a brilliant record which placed them eighth in the home table.

In contrast, John Mousinho’s side only managed to win three times on their travels, with relegated Plymouth Argyle the only team behind them in the away table.

Overall, this shows that Boro shouldn’t feel too downbeat over their defeat away at Portsmouth and should instead try to harness the positivity their early-season success brought.

After reflecting upon their slight slump during the international break, Edwards and Co. will be raring to go on 17 October when they face Ipswich Town under the Friday night Riverside lights.

A home clash against the Tractor Boys presents Boro with an opportunity to make a real statement and once again affirm their promotion credentials.

Following that match, Middlesbrough face Sheffield Wednesday, Wrexham and Watford; all encounters they will be strong favourites to take three points from.

Boro must put their Portsmouth disappointment behind them and take solace in the fact that Leeds United and Burnley managed to put similar setbacks behind them last year before going on to achieve promotion.