Middlesbrough vs Stoke City Predictions, Betting Tips and Preview

Middlesbrough vs Stoke City betting tips and Premier League predictions for this weekend’s opening fixture as Boro play their first Premier League match for seven years.

 

Fixture: Middlesbrough vs Stoke

Competition: Premier League

Kick-off time: 3pm Saturday 13^th August 2016

 

Middlesbrough and Stoke fans will be heading into the new season full of optimism and will be hoping for a positive result when they meet on Saturday. Our betting preview includes 11/5 and 4/1 tips.

 

Middlesbrough vs Stoke Preview

 

Middlesbrough  

Middlesbrough are in the Premier League for the first time since 2009 and their transfer dealings this summer show that they are here to stay. They have bought in exciting players such as Viktor Fischer and Marten De Roon from abroad and they have three players who have got a lot to prove in the Premier League. Victor Valdes, Gaston Ramirez and Alvaro Negredo could arguably be classed as flops from the first time in England’s top tier, so they will be aiming to prove people wrong and they all have the right attributes to be a success up north. They are a lot of people’s dark horses for this season with an exciting squad, wonderful home support and talented manager, it’s clear to see why. They have also had a very promising pre-season; only losing one game from eight played and Negredo has bagged a couple of goals, so things are looking very good at the Riverside stadium.

 

Stoke City

Stoke have had a relatively quiet transfer window compared to previous years with Joe Allen and Ramadan Sobhi the only senior players that they have signed. Allen was signed from Liverpool of the back of a positive European Championships campaign with Wales and him and record signing Giannelli Imbula will be hoping to build a strong partnership at the centre of that midfield. Along with the consistent Ryan Shawcross at the back and the flair of Bojan and Xherdan Shaqiri in the attacking areas, Stoke have a first team that is able to compete with anyone on their day and I can see them giving the big clubs some problems this season just like they did last season against the Manchester clubs. Success for Stoke this season would be a cup final or a European place next season and I think they can do that if they stay clear of injuries. I think they could have achieved this last season, however club captain Ryan Shawcross was plagued by injuries and they had to settle for 9th place in the Premier League and a league cup semi-final. Their pre-season didn’t set the world alight with defeats to Burton Albion and Hamburg in there, but they will be hoping to perform when it matters on Saturday.

 

ENHANCED ODDS: Get 4/1 for Man City to beat Sunderland later when you open a new Betfair account.

 

Middlesbrough vs Stoke Predictions

 

This game is too tough to call for me with Middlesbrough playing at home and Stoke the experienced Premier League outfit. I think that both teams will be happy to come away with a point from this game and this is exactly what I think will happen. My first Middlesbrough vs Stoke prediction is the match to end in a draw which is 11/5 with Ladbrokes. Middlesbrough will be very difficult to beat at home as this is where they have won the majority of their points over the last few seasons and I think their first game back in the top flight will be a promising one.

 

Draw – 11/5 with Ladbrokes: BET HERE.

Get a £50 free bet when you open a new Ladbrokes account.

 

Goalscorer Prediction

My second Middlesbrough vs Stoke betting tip is a slightly different one because I believe that the first goal will be scored from a header. There are so many good headers of the ball on the pitch (Shawcross, Negredo & Walters to name a few) and I think the first goal will be scored from a header which is 4/1 with Bet365. Also a small punt for Shawcross to score first at 28/1 with Bet365 is worth a punt on the first goalscorer market this weekend.

 

First goal to be a header – 4/1 with bet365: BET HERE.

Get a £200 sign-up bonus when you open a new bet365 account.

 

Middlesbrough vs Stoke Betting Tips

Draw – 11/5 at Ladbrokes.

First goal to be scored from a header – 4/1 at Bet365.

Shawcross to score first – 28/1 at Bet365.

 

Football Accumulator Tips

Bet on this weekend’s football accumulator tips with Ladbrokes and not only will you get a £50 free bet when you open a new account, but you’ll get losing accumulator bets refunded this season any time one team lets you down.

 

How to get losing accumulator bets refunded:

1. Click this link to Ladbrokes and register or sign-in

2. Bet up to £25 on an accumulator

3. If one team lets the bet down you'll get a refund