Cardiff City is new to this division, so the rank comparison rests on less than a shared season. Against the block the other keeps: Middlesbrough takes 2.33 points a game, Cardiff City 1.36 -- the block form is Middlesbrough's.
Middlesbrough: 50 league matches in the bank, 10 from this season and the rest from last season. Cardiff City: 50 league matches in the bank, 10 from this season and the rest from last season in the League One.
The question this step asks
Step one is THE TABLE: rank against rank, and the blocks -- the table cut into a top, middle and bottom block, drawn from last season's final standings. The question is not just where each side stands but how it behaves against the company the other keeps: does it play to rank against the blocks above and below, or come apart?
The two sides
Middlesbrough -- at home
Where it stands
Stands 2nd of 24 after 10 games, with 21 points. Last season it finished 5th of 24 in this division.
Its block
By last season's final table it sits in the top block (1st to 8th). Blocks are drawn from last season because the current table is only 10 games old.
Against today's opponent's block
Today it faces a side new to its division. Against that block it has won 2, drew 1, lost 0 of 3 -- 7 points of 9. At home against them: won 2 of 2. Away against them: won 0 of 1.
Across all the blocks
Across the blocks, over the last two seasons: against the top block won 4, drew 5, lost 7 of 16 (1.06 a game); against the middle block won 10, drew 3, lost 2 of 15 (2.20 a game); against the bottom block won 7, drew 6, lost 3 of 16 (1.69 a game); against sides new to the division won 2, drew 1, lost 0 of 3 (2.33 a game).
Cardiff City -- away
Where it stands
Stands 19th of 24 after 10 games, with 10 points. It was not in this division last season -- it came up from the League One, where it finished 2nd of 24.
Its block
New to the division this season, so it takes no block from last season's final table.
Against today's opponent's block
Today it faces a side from the top block (1st to 8th). Against that block it has won 5, drew 4, lost 5 of 14 -- 19 points of 42. At home against them: won 3 of 7. Away against them: won 2 of 7.
Across all the blocks
Across the blocks, over the last two seasons: against the top block won 5, drew 4, lost 5 of 14 (1.36 a game); against the middle block won 10, drew 5, lost 4 of 19 (1.84 a game); against the bottom block won 9, drew 4, lost 3 of 16 (1.94 a game); against sides new to the division won 0, drew 0, lost 1 of 1 (0.00 a game).
Built 07:04 from matches completed before
kick-off. Every figure is an observed count with its denominator —
not a forecast, and nothing here is a tip or a selection.