Burnley vs Middlesbrough Betting Tips, Predictions, Preview

Burnley vs Middlesbrough predictions and football betting tips for tonight’s massive Championship clash at the top of the table.

There’s a monumental clash in the Championship tonight as two of the top three meet in East Lancashire. We’ve got the best football tips for the match. With both Burnley and Middlesbrough vying for a return to the Premier League, this is a pivotal match up. Both sides are desperate to gain an advantage going into the last few weeks of the season.

Burnley vs Middlesbrough Preview

The top three are incredibly hard to separate at the moment. Every time it looks like one of the sides are set to drop points, they often pull a last minute goal out of the bag. Burnley did it at Brighton, Brighton did it at Forest and Middlesbrough have done it twice in a week.

They are characteristics of promotion winning sides, unfortunately though, three teams will simply not fit into two positions. Brighton travel to Middlesbrough on the final day of the season, which could be a straight shoot-out for Premier League football.

Burnley

Burnley arguably have the easiest run-in and they came through a tricky assignment away at Birmingham with another Andre Gray winner. The former Luton striker has just been named Championship player of the year and it’s a well-deserved accolade for man who has won many a game for the Clarets.

They’re still showing tremendous spirit under Sean Dyche and it’s difficult to see them getting beaten at any point. They’ve conceded just twice in ten home games and they are very difficult to break down. Most importantly, it’s no defeat in 19 games and if it wasn’t for a succession of draws at the start of the month, they would be several points clear by this point.

Dyche once again praised the character of his team after victory in the midlands and his side should go into this clash full of confidence. They work hard for one another and one of the most industrious players in the league, George Boyd also got on the scoresheet against the Blues.

Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough repeated the same trick twice when they scored on 91 minutes to see off a plucky Bolton side. The Trotters had already been relegated, but they were playing for pride and took a surprise lead when Josh Vela netted midway through the second half. But like Burnley with Andre Gray, Middlesbrough paid big money for a striker and Jordan Rhodes repaid some of his transfer fee with two goals to make sure the Teessiders didn’t face an embarrassing slip up. They’ve certainly got character and after the shenanigans over Easter, the players appear to be playing for Aitor Karanka once again. It’s slightly concerning that they are failing to keep clean sheets as regularly as they once were though. They have a tricky run in with fixtures with matches against Ipswich and Birmingham to come before the final day showdown with Brighton. Rhodes has come out and said it’s all about the ‘collective’ at Middlesbrough and there seems to be a certain togetherness and a steely determination not to lose.

Teams News

Ashley Barnes deputised for the absent Sam Vokes at the weekend and he came close to scoring. But the Welshman could be back for this game and he is likely to slot straight back into the 11. There were also returns for Dean Marney and James Tarkowski, the latter came on with a minute to go.

Joey Barton could be a doubt for this fixture after being taken off with an ankle complaint. David Jones, who started on the bench on Saturday could be drafted back in.

For Middlesbrough, it’s always a toss-up between David Nugent and Jordan Rhodes, but with the latter’s two goals, he’s likely to be given the nod. He might just get a hostile reception owing to his spell at Blackburn and that might spur him on in his quest for goals.

There don’t appear to be any injuries sustained for Middlesbrough in the victory at Bolton. Gaston Ramirez started on the bench and may be recalled to the side. The back four is likely to remain the same once more.

Burnley vs Middlesbrough Predictions

It’s a difficult game to call, both sides have shown such fighting spirit of late. But Turf Moor is never an easy place to go and Middlesbrough’s away record isn’t without it’s blemishes lately. Two back to back victories on the road, yes, but those were at QPR and Bolton and both by a single goal. Burnley have conceded just twice in 10 home games and look exceptionally strong. They have players coming back from injury and newly crowned Championship player of the year, Andre Gray in their ranks, they could edge it. My first Burnley v Middlesbrough prediction is for Burnley Draw No Bet.

BET NOW – Burnley draw no bet at odds of 4/5 with Betfred.

This game will be incredibly tense and nervy and neither side will want to be the first to make a mistake. Burnley keep things tight here and Middlesbrough have the best defence in the league. My second football prediction for Burnley v Middlesbrough in the Championship tonight is for the correct score at Half Time to be 0-0.

BET NOW – Half-time score 0-0 at 6/4 with Sky Bet.

Jordan Rhodes and Andre Gray take a huge portion of the goalscorer market for this game. With his award this week, it makes sense to opt for the latter to strike again. My third Burnley v Middlesbrough prediction is for Andre Gray to score anytime. He is 23/10 with 888Sport or if you open a new account you get treble odds, so 7/1.