Blackpool vs Middlesbrough prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2022-09-09 14:00.
It’s been a mixed bag in the Championship for Blackpool so far this season (W3, D2, L2), yet they were fortunate to have a 1-0 win over Huddersfield upheld after Hawkeye, the provider of the goal-line technology, admitted they were at fault in denying an equaliser. Boss Michael Appleton described the error as “not great from their point of view”, but it most certainly was from his own as the Tangerines now enjoy their best six-game start at this level since 2012/13.
While there are positives, a clear area for improvement is Blackpool’s home form. Appleton’s men have failed to win any of their last four games at Bloomfield Road (D1, L3), scoring in just one of those matches – a 3-3 draw with Bristol City in which they let a lead slip twice. A repeat of that capitulation looks unlikely here however, with Blackpool winning 12 of their last 14 home league games from leading positions.
There are finally signs of life for Chris Wilder’s Middlesbrough, after following up a winless six-game start to the season with two wins from their last three games (L1). Only two sides have conceded more goals in the final 15 minutes of Championship games than Boro’s three, but with a first clean sheet in 11 competitive games last time out, Wilder hailed the “change in mindset” that his side displayed in their 1-0 Tees-Wear derby win.
The next hurdle for the Teessiders is to end a seven-game winless run of away games (D3, L4) despite at least getting on the scoresheet in five of the last six. With Boro smashing their initial ticket allocation to sell over 3,000 for this encounter, the travelling masses clearly love to be beside the seaside, as Boro look to enjoy a fourth consecutive away league H2H win for the first time ever.
Players to watch: Theodor Corbeanu has done well to score in three of his last four Blackpool appearances despite never playing the full 90 minutes. Australian World Cup hopeful Riley McGree scored Middlesbrough’s winner last time out, yet showed his determination to do better by exclaiming he should have bagged a hat-trick after the game.
Hot stat: The side scoring first has failed to win half of Middlesbrough’s league games this season.