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Middlesbrough predicted team vs Lincoln City with two changes from Wrexham cup win How we predict Middlesbrough's starting line-up will look on the opening day of the Championship season Kim Hellberg will pick his first Middlesbrough starting XI in the 2026-27 Championship campaign, as they host Lincoln City in their curtain-raiser. With a lot of positive transfer work already done, Hellberg already has a number of interesting selection dilemmas, with Boro doing well last week when beating Wrexham in the Carabao Cup. Now, the injury picture improves options further, with Kyle Joseph in the full swing of things after his cameo in the cup win. Alfie Jones, Myles Peart-Harris and Riley McGree have all been back in training this week too. That leaves Aidan Morris and David Strelec, who were rated at 50-50 to be back for this game, while Tommy Conway remains a few weeks away. With that in mind, here's our predicted team for Lincoln. GK - Radek Vitek - It’s harsh on Sol Brynn. But Boro are not paying £7m for Vitek to sit on the bench. The expectation is that he’ll be first choice. DR - Callum Brittain - One area a few have mentioned they’d like to see Boro add a signing in is right-back. Brittain is virtually unchallenged. For as long as he stays at the levels he has been, it’s not a massive priority, however. DC - Luke Ayling - All signs point towards Boro being a far more expansive side this season, and that does leave the centre-backs exposed to the counter. Ayling’s looked a little shaky over the summer, but, to his credit, has always done enough. DC - Adilson Malanda - With Morris rated only 50-50 and therefore unlikely to be starting, the obvious choice was to go Malanda in midfield again. However, Hellberg was strong in his pre-match beliefs that Malanda is a centre-back, which makes me suspect that’s where he’ll play here. DL - Max Arfsten - It was a steady and solid debut for Arfsten last week, as he looks to prove he can handle life at left-back in the Championship. Assuming Boro enjoy the possessional dominance you’d expect in this one, we might get to see his attacking side more too. CM - Sebastian Berhalter - The USA midfielder already looks very at home in the Boro midfield. He links play well, has been rotating effectively with Whittaker and then set up Lankshear’s winner. He’s quickly become important. CM - Myles Peart-Harris - A bold call, maybe, but Peart-Harris has been back in full training and completed the vast majority of pre-season before his injury. Though his preference is to be an eight, when Boro need that extra defensive coverage, Peart-Harris could do the job of a six. He has the physicality and calmness in possession. He also started life as a centre-back. RW - Morgan Whittaker - Whittaker didn’t get his campaign off and running with a goal in the cup. Nevertheless, he’ll no doubt hope to get his first of the season as quickly as possible. AM - Leo Castledine - While he was a little quieter against Wrexham, he still worked hard for his side throughout. It’s hard to justify not picking him right now. LW - Kyle Joseph - It was a bright cameo from Joseph last weekend. Now, Hellberg is not ruling out that he’d be fit to start, only that he wouldn’t last 90 minutes. Whether it’s as a fluid left-sided forward or a striker alongside Lankshear, Joseph could start. ST - Will Lankshear - The striker enjoyed the perfect start at Boro with his match-winning goal against Wrexham. His general play was excellent too, making for very positive first impressions. Now, pick your team! ------------- Get Teesside Live Premium now for just £1 HERE – exclusive Boro news and features, transfer notebooks, comment and analysis from Eric Paylor, plus an ad-lite experience Join our WhatsApp community to get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe. Your information will be hidden, you'll only ever receive messages from the Teesside Live sports team, and you can leave any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'Exit group'. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.