Football – England – Championship
Friday 3rd April 2015 – Kickoff: 1500hrs
The Good Friday action continues in the English leagues, and my next pick concerns the Championship with hosts Middlesbrough taking on relegation haunted Wigan Athletic at the Riverside Stadium.
Middlesbrough know that a win today could take them to the top of the Championship in what is becoming an extremely tight affair for the right to be playing Premier League football next season. Realistically, any of the top six teams are in with a chance of automatic promotion, while Boro will be keen to put their recent 3-0 defeat away at Bournemouth behind them this afternoon.
Prior to that defeat, Middlesbrough had enhanced their chances of promotion with wins over rivals Ipswich Town 4-1 at home and a 1-0 win away at Derby County which were both massive results for Karanka’s men. On home turf, Boro’s record is a strong one which stands at 12-4-3 37/11 and they’ve won their last three on the trot with wins against Bolton, Millwall and Ipswich Town, scoring 8 goals and conceding just 1 in the process.
Wigan Athletic have endured a torrid and disappointing season this term and they now have a real relegation fight on their hands as they sit in the bottom three and five points adrift of Rotherham United and safety.
The Latics held Lancashire rivals Bolton Wanderers to a 1-1 draw prior to the international break to secure a valuable point, but they face a tough assignment this afternoon against a confident Middlesbrough outfit. However, Wigan may feel they can get something at the Riverside particularly given the fact they’ve won their last four away matches on the trot with wins at Reading, Blackpool, Norwich City and the aforementioned Rotherham United.
Wigan’s away record is better than their home one and currently stands at 6-3-10 19/27 but it should be remembered that three of their recent four away wins were at bottom half opposition.
Middlesbrough will be desperate to bounce back here this afternoon, and they’ve covered the -1 asian line a total of 10 times out 19 home matches so far (along with 2 pushes), so I reckon the value is on the hosts to win by more than 1 goal in what could perhaps be a solid 2-0 win for Boro.
Pick: Middlesbrough AH-1 @ 2.05 bet365
