Aston Villa U23 1 - 1 Middlesbrough U23

The number of clean sheets, or matches a team has without conceding a single goal, in a competition is a strong indicator of how well their defence is playing. The more times a team can completely keep their opponents from scoring, the more likely it is the team’s actual ability rather than just random chance.

We keep track of all the clean sheet information here, and these are the stats for Aston Villa U23 vs Middlesbrough U23:

• Aston Villa U23 has played 24 matches and kept opponents from scoring a single goal in 4 of them. In other words, they have kept a clean sheet in 17% of their matches.
• In 12 home matches in the Premier League 2 Division Two U23, Aston Villa U23 has had 2 matches without conceding a goal. Middlesbrough U23 has played 24 matches and has shut out opponents on 5 occasions. That means they have held clean sheets in 21% of their matches.
• In 12 home matches played in the Premier League 2 Division Two U23, Middlesbrough U23 has had 2 matches without conceding a single goal. And away from home, they have a 17% clean sheet rate as the visiting side.

If both clubs have a high rate of keeping clean sheets, then there’s a decent chance of seeing a low-scoring battle between two strong defensive clubs. But for matches between clubs with low rates of clean sheets, then it’s fair to expect a goal or two.