Burnley vs Middlesbrough prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2022-12-16 15:00.
There was a sense of cautious optimism amongst Burnley fans ahead of their first game back after the World Cup break, with questions over whether their momentum would have been stunted. Vincent Kompany’s men answered that in emphatic style by maintaining a three-point cushion at the top of the table thanks to a comprehensive 3-0 win at QPR, a result described by Kompany as close to perfection.
The Clarets have been similarly strong at Turf Moor, as they boast the only remaining unbeaten home record in the Championship this season (W7, D4) and are seeking a sixth straight home win for the first time since 2009! Achieving such a feat won’t be easy against an improving Middlesbrough though, a side Burnley have beaten just once across the last eight league H2H encounters (D3, L4).
Michael Carrick’s Boro had to work a little harder than Burnley to get three points last weekend, but they did so with a last-gasp winner against ten-man Luton Town (2-1). Despite a faltering start, that result lifted Middlesbrough into the top half ahead of the round and Boro’s director of football Kieran Scott has previously likened reviving their promotion hopes to “turning QE2”, largely thanks to Carrick’s solid start in the Riverside Stadium hotseat so far, with five unbeaten games from six in the infancy of his tenure (W4, D1, L1).
Three of the four wins under Carrick came across Middlesbrough’s last three away games and most recently against Norwich, so their outsiders tag here is unlikely to faze the Teessiders. Another win would mark a milestone for Boro, as they’ve not won four straight away league games since their last Championship promotion campaign in 2015/16, a season in which Burnley also went up as champions!
Players to watch: Sharing a ten-way lead at the top of the Championship goalscoring charts coming into the round, Burnley’s Jay RodrĂguez is one goal shy of his first double-figure scoring league season since 2018/19 and he could grab that against Middlesbrough, a team he’s made seven goal contributions against in nine H2Hs (G4, A3). Boro’s Chuba Akpom is one of those tied with Rodriguez and it’s perhaps no surprise to see he picked up the PFA player of the month award for November in midweek considering he is returning one goal per 118 minutes this season.
Hot streak: Burnley are yet to lose a league game in which they began as favourites this season (W12, D7).