Middlesbrough vs Coventry prediction: ENGLAND: Championship – Play Offs betting tips on match 2023-05-16 19:00.
After a solid away performance in the Championship play-off semi-final first leg at the CBS Arena saw Michael Carrick’s Middlesbrough register a first clean sheet since March, they’ll hope hosting the second leg gives them a small advantage. That goalless draw was the second stalemate in as many H2Hs, but the ten-day trilogy between these sides must finally produce a winner here, with a trip to Wembley the ultimate prize for Boro or Coventry.
The Boro return to a sold-out Riverside under the floodlights, and memories of their last successful such game may spring to mind when they blew Brentford away 3-0 to book a Wembley trip back in 2015. Such a dominant result perhaps wouldn’t surprise many considering Boro have seen 68% of their league wins this season come by multi-goal margins, but the fact they haven’t defeated the Sky Blues yet this term could weigh heavy (D2, L1).
Coventry fans had set fireworks off outside of the Boro team hotel in the early hours of Sunday morning in a desperate bid to gain an advantage, to which Carrick “woke up, had a little chuckle and went back to sleep”. Even so, that act of sabotage didn’t help Mark Robins’ side, who failed to register a single shot on target in their home leg. The main thing Robins has reiterated to his men is that “we are in it”, which is an incredible feat in itself after Coventry became just the third side since 1968/69 to fail to win each of their first seven league games yet still secure a top-six position!
Overcoming adversity is in Coventry’s DNA, with the Sky Blues rising from the depths of League Two in 2017/18 to where they are today. The next hurdle in Coventry’s revival must be to make history by notching their first ever win at the Riverside Stadium after 13 failed attempts prior (D4, L9), but their current nine-game unbeaten run of away games (W4, D5) suggests they may have the tools to take this tie the distance.
Players to watch: Chuba Akpom became the first Boro player to win a regular season golden boot since John Hickton in 1970/71 with 28 goals, but he was unable to add to that incredible tally in the first leg. Trying to outdo him once again will be the Championship’s second-highest scorer Viktor Gyökeres (G21), who impressively hit eight decisive match openers across the regular season!
Hot stat: Six of the eight Championship play-off semi final second leg games played between 2019-2022 saw both teams score.