Middlesbrough vs Tottenham Hotspur Predictions

• Middlesbrough overcame Manchester United on penalties at Old Trafford in the previous round.
• Boro have won their last seven home games.
• Spurs have failed to win six of their seven away games in cup competitions.
• Matt Crooks scored at Old Trafford and has two goals in his last two games.

Could lightning strike twice for Boro?

Middlesbrough stunned Manchester United at Old Trafford in the previous round of the FA Cup and they can give Tottenham a scare at the Riverside Stadium on Tuesday.

Boro lost at Barnsley at the weekend but they may well have had one eye on this cup assignment, and they have been in excellent form at home recently.

The North East outfit have won each of their last seven home games in a run stretching back to the start of December.

Spurs put Leeds to the sword with a 4-0 away win on Saturday in what proved to be Marcelo Bielsa’s final game in charge at Elland Road, but they have been in mixed form of late and they haven’t managed back-to-back wins since the end of December. A below par performance at Boro could spell danger for the North Londoners – so I’m taking the odds against price on Middlesbrough in the double chance market as the main bet.

Extra time could be required

Middlesbrough needed extra time and penalties to overcome United and it could be a similar story against Spurs.

Boro may have won their last seven at home but Tottenham are definitely a step up in class. However, Spurs have struggled on their travels in cup competitions and have just one win in seven attempts across two tournaments this season (D2, L4) so there are reasons to expect a Boro result.

Both teams have been in good scoring form and Boro have scored at least twice in four of their last five games, while Tottenham have managed two goals in four of their last six, so a 2-2 result has some appeal in the correct score market.

Matt Crooks was Middlesbrough’s hero at Old Trafford as he cancelled out Jadon Sancho’s opener. The 28-year-old should go straight back into the starting XI after missing the last two games through suspension and he is in good form with two goals in his last two appearances, so he stands out as an anytime goalscorer option for this fifth round tie.