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  1. Pick of the stats: Middlesbrough v Oxford Unitedpublished at 10:44 GMT 20 February

    The club badges of Middlesbrough and Oxford United side by side

    Middlesbrough had their six-game winning streak in the Championship ended by Coventry City on Monday night - a result which meant the Sky Blues returned to the top of the table and Boro dropped to second place.

    Oxford United are without a win in their past four games, including three defeats, and are six points adrift of safety with 14 games remaining.

    • Middlesbrough are unbeaten in their past 11 league games against Oxford (W8 D3), with their last defeat against them coming in February 1990 (1-3) under Bruce Rioch.

    • Oxford have lost 11 of their 14 away league matches against Middlesbrough (W2 D1), scoring just nine goals across the 14 matches (0.6 per game).

    • Middlesbrough have won their past three home league matches without conceding a goal – they last won and kept a clean sheet in four straight league games at the Riverside between April and September 2018 (5), under Tony Pulis.

    • Only Sheffield Wednesday (1) have scored fewer Championship goals in 2026 than Oxford (4). However, all four of those have been netted in away games, only failing to score in one of their four matches on the road since the turn of the year.

    • Middlesbrough are the only side yet to drop a point from a winning position in the Championship this season, going on to win all 18 games when taking the lead.

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  2. 'Sky Blues loss will be forgotten with Oxford win'published at 12:27 GMT 19 February

    Media caption,

    Shaw: Oxford a game Boro 'have to win'

    Middlesbrough's upcoming game against Oxford United on Saturday (15:00 GMT) is a must-win as they fight for automatic promotion, said the Northern Echo's Dom Shaw.

    The U's are six points away from safety in the bottom three, while Middlesbrough's defeat to Coventry City on Monday means they now trail the Sky Blues by one point at the top of the table.

    The Teesside club then host a struggling Leicester City side on Tuesday, 24 February (19:45 GMT), who are also in the relegation zone after a six point deduction.

    But while the journalist sees Oxford as a "kind fixture" for Boro following a difficult loss to the league leaders, he does believe a victory will go a long way in rebuilding morale.

    "If Boro can win both of those games - and even better, if they can win at least one emphatically - [it will help] get rid of any anxiety in the stands even before it's even allowed to settle in," Shaw told BBC Radio Tees.

    "There was such a buzz about the place, about Boro, about the town ahead of Coventry. That hasn't disappeared because of one defeat.

    "If you go and win well against Oxford on Saturday, that Coventry defeat will be forgotten about."

    Listen to Shaw's full thoughts on BBC Sounds

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  3. Rainbow ball back in EFL anti-homophobia campaignpublished at 11:36 GMT 19 February

    A close up of Puma's rainbow ball that features a selection of colourful geometrical shapes on a traditional white backgroundImage source, EFL
    Image caption,

    This is the third year the EFL have used the rainbow ball campaign

    Puma's Rainbow ball will return to the English Football League as part of an on-going campaign against discrimination and homophobia.

    The special edition rainbow ball was introduced in 2024 to mark LGBTQ+ History Month and will be used at every EFL game from 20 February until 1 March.

    Manufacturers Puma will make a donation to Football v Homophobia for every goal scored with their rainbow ball across the Championship, League One and League Two.

    The donations will help support education against homophobia and promote inclusion across the season.

    The EFL have released a video, external to coincide with the campaign which features a Preston North End fan who was charged with a hate crime following homophobic chanting during an FA Cup fixture against Chelsea.

    The rainbow ball will also feature in EFL partner EA Sports' FC 26 video game.

    "The rainbow ball is a powerful symbol of the values we uphold across the EFL all season long," EFL chief executive officer Trevor Birch said.

    "It not only reflects our longstanding commitment to ensuring the League is representative of all its diverse communities, but also reminds us that we all have a role to play in creating an environment in which everyone feels they truly belong."