Middlesbrough v Aston Villa Betting Preview – Championship 12th May 5.15pm
This should be an interesting first leg at the Riverside as Boro like Aston Villa are a better home side than away. So can Boro take advantage of home advantage in this first leg and give themselves something to defend at Villa Park for the second leg which is set for May 15th? The winner will play the winner of the Derby v Fulham tie. Bor will be a threat in this tie after finishing the regular season strongly. Villa have been struggling for positive form on the road.
Middlesbrough News and Form
Middlesbrough put in a powerful finish to the season, winning three of their last four (D1). So they got themselves together pretty well and will be a threat here. They have netted exactly two goals in five of their last six games played so are producing well up front. They are on a three-match winning streak at the Riverside and have won seven of their last eight there as well. So punters will find plenty of reason to be backing them and in the bet365 correct score market a Middlesbrough 1-0 option is at 5/1 odds* (Betting Odds taken at 6:33 p.m. on May 8th, 2018). This is all going to be about what they can produce at home because Aston Villa are a very good home side as well. Boro have scored in each of their last eight at home and at least two in each of their last three there. They have put together a fourteen match scoring streak at the moment home and away combined. Defensively they have been fantastic as well on home soil having conceded just 0.74 goals per game on average across the season. Just 39% of their home games made it over the 2.5 goal line and this should be tight.
Aston Villa News and Form
Aston Villa’s form dipped just a little before the end of the season. They got themselves fourth place without too much trouble but they are only W1 D1 L3 in their last five road games. They will fancy their chances back on home soil so just holding in there and perhaps a bit of damage limitation is going to be the order of the day in this first leg. Aston Villa scored 1.3 goals per away game on average this season while they conceded an average of a goal per game. Villa were drawing 0-0 at half time in eight of their away games this term and overall were level at half-time in 10 of their 23 away games. They may have to dig in there a bit against the in-form Middlesbrough and both teams not to score with bet365 is at 8/11 odds* (Betting Odds taken at 6:33 p.m. on May 8th, 2018). Their overall away form for the season reads W10 D4 L9 and they were really on a good stretch of away form (W5 L1) before collapsing at the end of the season. One factor that is worth considering is that they lost four of their five away games during the regular season against the other top six finishers.
Middlesbrough v Aston Villa Head to Head
The two sides have already met three times this season, twice in the league and once in the EFL Cup. Boro got a win at Villa Park in the EFL Cup, but it was Villa who took four points from the two league meetings. Boro didn’t get on the scoresheet in either of those league meetings. In the last six league matches between them, Aston Villa are W2 D3 L1 against Boro so it is all pretty tight. Boro have failed to win any of their last five home games against Villa (D1 L4).
Middlesbrough v Aston Villa Betting Odds*
Middlesbrough 6/5, Draw 11/5, Aston Villa 12/5* (Betting Odds taken at 2:23 a.m. on May 8th, 2018)
Middlesbrough v Aston Villa Predictions
Boro are no slouches on home soil and can make a good fist of this. They will have to recognise that their best chance of progress is in building up a first leg lead here so they can defend out at Villa Park. They are value to nick it as well, perhaps by just the one-goal margin.
