MIDDLESBROUGH v BOLTON WANDERERS
Tuesday 26th December 2017 – Kickoff: 1500hrs
Football – England – Championship Betting Tips
Middlesbrough manager, Garry Monk, would have been a relieved man when his side captured all three points in Saturday’s 2-1 win away at Sheffield Wednesday in a match which was billed as a battle between two managers under increasing pressure.
Boro found themselves a goal down but rallied in the second half to take the spoils but there’s still plenty of work to do if they’re to lift themselves up into the play-off pack, and stay there. Middlesbrough’s inconsistency has all too often let them down, although they have now won three of their last four at the Riverside Stadium with wins over Sunderland, Birmingham City and Ipswich Town.
The hosts possess an okay home record of 6-2-3 13/9, but they’ll need to gain more consistency on home turf if they’re to become serious contenders for the play-offs. Striker Assombalonga (11 goals) has been in goalscoring form though, and if he can stay fit in the second half of this season then Boro have a good chance.
Bolton Wanderers did their hopes of avoiding relegation no harm at all with a 2-0 home win over second placed Cardiff City on Saturday but they still remain in the bottom three as Burton Albion won away at Reading.
The Trotters now sit level on points with Sunderland who were held to a 1-1 draw by Birmingham City, but face a tough trip to the north-east to take on a Middlesbrough outfit who are aiming for a place in the play-off pack over the Christmas period.
Despite registering recent wins over Barnsley and Cardiff City, both of these wins were recorded at their Macron Stadium, while their away form has been cause for concern throughout the campaign so far; an away record of 0-5-6 8/22 tells its own story, and it’s now a staggering 36 matches without an away win in the Championship.
Pick: Middlesbrough to win @ 1.52 Marathonbet
