Burnley vs Middlesbrough Betting Tips & Predictions

This is the biggest game of the season so far in this league with leaders Middlesbrough 2 points clear of 2nd place Burnley who in turn have a further 2 point advantage on Brighton in 3rd. All three sides have been in fine form and any slip-ups could prove critical in the final standings. Clearly at least one of these teams has to drop points here but if either side can win they will take a massive leap towards the promised land.

That is certainly true for Middlesbrough. Victory at Turf Moor would be a massive blow to land on their closest rivals and they could seal their return to the Premier League as soon as Saturday when they host Ipswich should that happen. They have won all of their last 6 league matches but they have by no means been blowing teams away. Their last 3 wins have all been by 1 goal and the last two have come courtesy of 90th minute winners. Adam Forshaw’s strike at home to Reading and Jordan Rhode’s last gasp winner at Bolton on Saturday have earned crucial wins and it is sure to be another nerve-jangling 90 minutes for Boro fans here.

Burnley’s unbeaten run in the Championship now stands at an impressive 19 games but they will be well aware that Boro were the side that ended a similar run by Brighton earlier in the season with a 3-0 win on the South Coast. Burnley’s last 5 games have all been close games with 3 draws prior to their 1-0 win at home to Leeds and 2-1 win at Birmingham on Saturday. They weren’t great at St Andrews but claimed the 3 points and at this stage in the season that is all that matters.

There is more pressure on Burnley to win this given Middlesbrough have 2 more points on the board but more than anything this is a game that both sides will look upon as ‘must not lose’ rather than ‘must win’ so it could be a cautious affair. Middlesbrough have the best defensive record in the league while Burnley have kept clean sheets in 6 of their last 7 home games but have only scored more than once in 1 of those games. Visiting teams have found a way to frustrate the Clarets and Boro with their strong defence will be confident they can replicate that so backing Both Teams to Score – NO at 17/20 looks very good here.