Middlesbrough v Preston North End
Wednesday 13th 1945hrs
Football – England – Championship
Pick Preston ‘Double Chance’
Bookmaker Marathon Bet
Odds: 81/100 (odds taken 21.00 GMT, Tuesday 12th March)
Another big Championship game in terms of the race for the playoffs takes place at the Riverside on Wednesday as a stuttering Middlesbrough team come up against of the inform teams in the league, Preston north End – both teams needing the points for a top six finish.
Championship Betting at Marathon Bet
Middlesbrough Preview
It’s looked for the majority of the season that Middlesbrough would have to settle yet again for competing in the end of season playoffs in order to achieve their goal of playing in the Premier League. Tony Pulis’ men were knocked out in the semi-finals last year and had hoped to avoid playing in them all together this time around, but they have simply not been good enough, or consistent enough, to challenge for the automatic promotion spots. Pulis has come in for a lot of criticism at different stages of the season for what fans perceive as being a negative brand of football. In a league that is being dominated by some very expansive and attacking outfits, those concerns are understandable, and it looks nailed on that ‘Boro will be in the playoffs – at best. It would have to be a dramatic turnaround for them to overturn the 12-point gap between themselves and Leeds in second spot, whilst they would also have to overcome another couple of teams in the process. It might well turn into a fight to hold on to a playoff spot at this rate with the team gathering in behind. ‘Boro have four-point cushion at the moment but with 11 games to play there is plenty of time for that margin to disappear.
Key-Facts – Middlesbrough v Preston North End
- Middlesbrough are beginning to look behind them as the challengers begin to position themselves in the playoff race
- Preston narrowly missed out on the playoffs last season but they are unbeaten in their last10 league games and closing in once again
- Preston have the best recent away record in the league, winning their last five
Preston North End Preview
It’s all beginning to resemble déjà vu for Preston and their supporters as they have been putting together another very strong second half to the season. Last year seen them miss out on the final day of the campaign to reach the top six, two points behind Derby County. A slow start to proceedings once again left them an awful lot to do but Alex Neil is overseeing another terrific run of form to try and edge his team into the top six, and this time finish ahead of their old rivals Derby. Since losing away to Rotherham on New Years’ Day, North End have put together a run of 10 games without defeat – winning six of them. It has propelled them into 10th and now just four points off sixth spot. There is an awful lot to sort out and they do have a handful of teams above them all better positioned but there’s no doubting how good of form that Preston are in and they are bouncing into games at the moment with huge confidence. Neil has experience of taking a team up via the playoffs, of course, when manager of Norwich. But if he was able to repeat the feat with Preston it would top even that.
Middlesbrough v Preston North End Betting Advice
Middlesbrough will know they are now in a battle to remain in the top six and on the back of a home defeat to Brentford on Saturday the supporters are growing every more frustrated with what’s happening on the park. It’s been their inability to put a run of wins together that has prevented them from challenging the top two and it’s now beginning to harm their chances of the playoffs with teams below them really hitting their stride. One of this is most definitely this Preston team who will travel to the North East on Wednesday with the belief that they can extend this good run they are on.
There was nothing to separate these teams when they clashed at Deepdale In November. A point is not really of much use to either considering how competitive the playoff race is becoming, and any points dropped gives teams around them a chance to take an advantage. The nerves are becoming apparent at the Riverside and the visitors will be hoping to feed off of that. With five straight wins away from home in the league, Preston are certainly capable of causing their hosts problems which is why I’m taking them to avoid defeat on Wednesday.
