Middlesbrough Vs Luton
Middlesbrough Vs Luton Wednesday 16th December 2020 – 19:00 (kick-off)
English Championship
Pick: Middlesbrough WIN
Odds: 5/6
Bookmaker: Betway
(All betting odds correct at time of writing: 14th December 2020)
Preview: With little to choose between them in the Championship standings, will this be borne out on the pitch of Riverside Stadium when Middlesbrough, looking to make it four wins on the spin on their own patch, welcome Luton to Teesside.
EFL Championship Betting at Bet365
Table of Contents
Middlesbrough – Warnock converting Riverside into fortress of old?
The impact made by Neil Warnock on this team cannot be understated. The former Cardiff City boss has transformed a side that finished five points above relegation under Jonathan Woodgate in 2019/20 into one capable of mounting a genuine push for promotion this season. Saturday’s assured display in their emphatic 3-0 victory at home to Millwall the latest example of a side harbouring more lofty ambitions.
If Middlesbrough (W7 D6 L5) are to sustain a meaningful push for the top-six – which they presently sit outside of, four points shy of sixth-placed Brentford – it will likely be earned off their exploits at Riverside Stadium. So far this season, only Bournemouth and Watford – teams with Premier League calibre talent in their ranks – can boast more points from home fixtures than Boro (W6 D2 L1).
That is the company Warnock has them keeping, after winning each of their previous three league games on Teeside and collecting 15 of the last 18 available points there – a narrow 1-0 loss to leaders Norwich their sole blemish. Nobody, meanwhile, betters them from a defensive standpoint: 4 goals conceded in 9 games is a league-best (with Swansea), securing four of six wins on home soil without conceding.
Luton – Jones still without a solution to away troubles?
Rivalling the man in the opposite dugout for significant influence since his arrival as manager is Luton (W7 D5 L6) boss Nathan Jones. Back for a second stint at the helm of the Bedfordshire club, Jones steered them to safety last season upon joining the club prior to the restart, when a run of one loss in nine, winning three of their final four matches, meant they finished three points clear of danger in 19th.
Luton would finish two places behind Middlesbrough in 2019/20, so it is one of those strange turn of events that they should meet here separated by just two places and a solitary point. That both enjoy the comfort that the top-half of the Championship brings serves to emphasis the positive inroads made by both managers in their relatively short spells, with the pair much closer to the play-offs than relegation.
And, similar to their opponents, Luton have made a useful habit of extracting plenty from their own ground. On Saturday they eased to a 3-0 win at Kenilworth Road over Preston, having beaten leaders Norwich there earlier in the month. On their travels, however, it is no win in four (D2 L2), failing to score in recent visits to Cardiff, Swansea and Coventry, since a 1-0 success at Rotherham at the start of November.
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Middlesbrough Vs Luton Betting Advice
Home advantage could prove the difference between two sides split by two positions and a single point in the Championship standings ahead of the midweek fixtures. That is because both have preferred playing on their own patch this season. Middlesbrough have lost once all season here at Riverside Stadium and will be confident of securing a fourth successive home win against such goal-shy visitors.
Middlesbrough vs Luton – Key Facts:
- Four out of the six victories Middlesbrough accrued at home in this season’s Championship were without letting in a goal, boasting the best defensive record (4 in 9 games) in the second tier.
- Four away games without a win for Luton, failing to even find the back of the net in each of the last three, with all four away defeats this season coming ‘to nil’.
- However, it was Luton who went unbeaten in this fixture last term, earning a 1-0 win here at the Riverside having twice came from behind in the 3-3 draw at Kenilworth Road.
Luton restored some confidence with a 3-0 win against Preston over the weekend, but that was once again at home where they have won their last two. They last won away from home in early November, and have since collected two of twelve points on their travels having failed to score in each of the last three. Bearing in mind how defensively sound Middlesbrough are at home this campaign, the hosts are the obvious choice.
Best Betting Odds – Middlesbrough Vs Luton
Middlesbrough – 5/6 (Betway)
Draw – 5/2 (Unibet)
Luton – 4/1 (Bet365)
