Middlesbrough are preparing to face off with Stoke City for the second time this season and will be hoping for better luck this time around. Boro’s 2024/25 campaign got off to a flying start with a 1-0 win over Swansea City at the Riverside Stadium that ended a run of 10 years without a victory on the opening weekend of a season. A few days later, Middlesbrough smashed Leeds United 3-0 in the first round of the Carabao Cup. That victory in North Yorkshire was quickly forgotten, however, when Michael Carrick’s men played out their second-round fixture. Lukas Engel was shambolic as Middlesbrough…
