Middlesbrough vs Sheffield Wednesday
FA Cup – Third Round.
Date: Sunday, 8th January, 2016
Kick off at 15:00 UK Time
Venue: Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough.
Middlesbrough will this weekend play host to Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup, with the home side backed to claim a third round win.
A win for ‘Boro is just 10/11 with bet365 while an away win for Wednesday is 18/5. A draw between the two teams would result in a replay to be played in two weeks time, and is 13/5.
Middlesbrough enter the fray this week looking to clinch only their second win in five games as they square up against lower-league opposition in the form of Wednesday. Aitor Karanka’s hosts currently reside 16th in the Premier League and need to rediscover their form if they are to avoid dropping into the relegation zone in the near future. Looking to provide a welcome boost at the Riverside is Alvaro Negrado, with the Spaniard is the 6/5 favourite to score with bet365.
Wednesday on the other hand arrive at this weekend’s tie in fine fettle, with the South Yorkshire side having gone five games without defeat in the Championship. Such form leaves this weekend’s underdogs quietly confident of defeating a side they faced in the league just last year, and hoping to exact revenge on a side that beat them 1-0 in their last meeting just 13 months previous. Set to lead the line for Wednesday are strikers Steven Fletcher and Fernando Forestieri. Both players have racked up six goals so far this season, however it’s the Italian who is backed at 13/5 to score while Fletcher is 7/2.
Middlesbrough v Sheffield Wednesday: Head to Head Stats
These two teams last played last December where in this fixture the home side won 1-0. Middlesbrough has won the last two games but before then this was a fixture dominated by Sheffield Wednesday where they went 3 years unbeaten. Sheffield have only won at the Riverside Stadium once in the past 25 years with a 3-2 victory in a league match in 2014. The last time the clubs played an FA Cup with Boro at home was in 1912 where that match ended 0-0.
Middlesbrough vs Sheffield Wednesday: Prediction
This has all the elements of being a traditional English cup fixture with football that should be played end to end. There are no dominant goal scorers for the club, and whilst Boro will be favourites they will have to work hard for victory.
Middlesbrough vs Sheffield Wednesday: Betting Tips
A draw at half time at 11/10 (2.10)
Over 1.5 match goals at 4/9 (1.44).
