The 2024/25 Championship season will be Michael Carrick’s second full campaign as a Middlesbrough manager.
Michael Carrick took charge of Middlesbrough in October 2022, replacing Chris Wilder after the club won just two of their opening 11 Championship games that season.
Despite the slow start, Carrick was able to guide the Teessiders up to fourth in the division before losing in the play-off semi-finals to Coventry City.
2023/24 was less fruitful for Middlesbrough, with the North East outfit missing out on the top six by four points after a slow start.
Attention has now turned to 2024/25, with Middlesbrough’s fixture list for the forthcoming campaign released on June 26th.
The North East outfit kickstart their campaign on Saturday, August 10th, with a home meeting versus Swansea City.
But where will Middlesbrough finish this season? Here we discuss the 2024/25 Championship roster and how Boro might fare…
Who are the favourites for Championship promotion in 2024/25
As is often the case, the teams relegated from the Premier League in the previous campaign are expected to do well.
Leicester City and Southampton secured swift returns to the top flight in 2023/24, with Leeds United reaching the play-off final.
Burnley, Luton Town, and Sheffield United came down to the second division this time around and should be at the top of the pile come May.
Burnley won the Championship with 101 points in 2022/23 and have kept hold of a lot of their squad from that season. They have, however, lost manager Vincent Kompany.
As for the other two newly relegated teams, Luton only won promotion via the playoffs last time around but they seem to be the most stable club of the trio.
Sheffield United, meanwhile, had a 2023/24 to forget but with Chris Wilder back in the dugout, they will be looking to repeat the success they enjoyed under the 56-year-old in 2018/19.
Leeds should also be in the promotion hunt come the back end of the campaign, though their fate may rest of which top stars leave the club this summer.
Who are the favourites for Championship relegation in 2024/25
At the opposite end of the table, the newly promoted trio of Derby County, Portsmouth, and Oxford United are expected to be thrown straight into a relegation scrap.
There are a few more teams who narrowly avoided the drop last time out that will likely be in a similar position in 2024/25.
Plymouth Argyle’s survival came down to the final day and with Wayne Rooney now in charge, another tough campaign is expected in the South West.
Sheffield Wednesday finished just three points from safety in 2023/24 but new manager Danny Rohl put together an impressive string of results to keep them afloat.
How will Middlesbrough fare in 2024/25 Championship season
For Middlesbrough fans, after an early flurry of transfer activity, it is hard not to get excited about next season.
Boro were hampered by a massive turnaround of players in 2023/24 but no such issues are likely this summer.
Carrick and co. are expected to keep hold of the majority of their top names, unlike last summer, and have already brought three new names through the door.
The trio of Luke Ayling, Delano Burgzorg, and Aidan Morris will strengthen key areas and after being signed so early, have plenty of time to get accustomed to Carrick’s style.
Middlesbrough finished just four points outside of the top six in the previous season, in large part due to their slow start, which was brought about by the aforementioned turnover.
But after losing just one of their last 12 league games and Carrick now having a core group of players familiar with his style, a top-six finish should be the aim for Middlesbrough at the very least.
Automatic promotion is not out of the question for the club, but it can be hard for established Championship sides to compete with the teams coming down from the Premier League.
