Overview
- The tie is at the Riverside on Friday, August 7 with an 8pm kick‑off and live coverage on ITV1 and Sky Sports, and first‑round rules send any draw after 90 minutes straight to penalties.
- Middlesbrough are pre‑match favourites after a busy transfer window that brought in Will Lankshear, Sebastian Berhalter and Max Arfsten.
- Wrexham have been quieter in the market, signing Ben Whiteman and Danny Imray, but arrived with encouraging pre‑season wins including results on their U.S. tour.
- Team news is fluid: multiple Middlesbrough players are ruled out or being assessed while Wrexham list Elliot Lee, Josh Windass and Ben Sheaf as doubts and Ryan Hardie as a long‑term absentee, so lineups may shift late.
- Bookmakers have pushed boosted markets and promotions focused on goals — notably 'both teams to score' and 'Boro to score first' — reflecting last season’s score draws between the sides and heavy betting interest.