Middlesbrough vs Leicester Prediction: Boro to bounce back against wounded Foxes

Middlesbrough had to settle for a point against Oxford United at the weekend, as the U’s came away from the Riverside with a 0-0 draw. It means Coventry have established a three-point lead at the top of the table, and pressure is on Boro to get back to winning ways as they host Leicester on Tuesday (19:45 GMT, Sky Sports+). 

Gary Rowett is looking to take Leicester away from danger and below you can find my Middlesbrough vs Leicester predictions. 

Team News

Middlesbrough boss Kim Hellberg tried to manage Riley McGree’s return from injury against Oxford, bringing him off the bench for 30 minutes, but he is likely to start again here. 

“Riley I would put up every game 90 minutes if that was possible, but it’s not. Riley is brilliant, I would like to have three of Riley and then playing him all the time, but that’s not always possible.”

Leo Castledine, Alfie Jones and Alex Bangura remain out of action for the hosts. 

Football Odds

Leicester are in the middle of an injury crisis with Jordan James, Hamza Choudhury and Aaron Ramsey amongst the absentees at Stoke. Abdul Fatawu and Jordan Ayew also missed that one with knocks but could return here, while Victor Kristiansen was forced off before half-time on his first start since November 1.

Bobby De Cordova-Reid has now served his three-match suspension and should return, with boss Rowett admitting they were a little short. 

“The squad’s where it is, we’ve lost big, key players that make a huge difference. We lost two more yesterday, one in the middle of our last preparations, which doesn’t help. That’s Abdul and Jordan.

“It would be nice to get some of those back. I don’t know whether Abdul or Jordan will be back for Tuesday. Hopefully so. Fingers crossed. I think we’ve got two fit centre halves, one fit left-back and clearly we need a bit of fortune to get through some of these games before players come back.” 

Today's Football Fixtures

Middlesbrough vs Leicester Odds

Middlesbrough are the obvious favourites for this clash, priced at 8/15 to take the win, while Leicester are 5/1 to cause a shock in the north east. That gives Boro an implied win probability of 65%, while a draw is 16/5.

BTTS is 8/11, over 2.5 goals is 8/13 and Morgan Whittaker is the favourite to score first at 7/2. 

Middlesbrough to win and BTTS @ 15/8

I’m wary of this Leicester side under Rowett - as we know how impactful he can be in a relegation battle, however I will trust Middlesbrough to win this game. I don’t think they need to panic, given what we have seen over two months. A defeat to Coventry and draw to Oxford isn’t the end of the world, and they need to keep true to the beliefs that have served them so well since the turn of the year. 

Leicester’s injuries leave me concerned they may just be a bit too open to get a result here. As the boss says, they only have two fit centre-halves and one fit left-back right now - so that’s not ideal. They looked more creative in the 2-2 draw with Stoke however, and if Fatawu and Ayew return, they could be good for a goal. Both teams have scored in their three, so let’s go for a Boro win and BTTS to kick us off. 

Luke Thomas to get booked @ 3/1

With Kristiansen out, Luke Thomas is set to start at left-back again for Leicester with no other natural options available to Rowett. I’m not convinced by his ability at this level and he was booked having come off the bench at Stoke. 

That was his seventh booking of the season, one more than any other Leicester player, and given he is going to be up against a Whittaker and a fluid Boro attack, I think he’s a fantastic price to pick up another yellow. 

Football - 2 Up Early Payout

Pre-Match bets on the 2 Up Early Payout market in selected games. Paid as a winner within 5 minutes if your team goes 2 goals ahead. Selected leagues only. 90 mins only. T&Cs Apply.

Sports Welcome Offer

New customers only. Deposit via Debit Card & place first bet £10+ (1/1+) on Sports in 7 days. £30 Sports & £20 Acca Free Bets within 10 hrs of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility, payment excl. & T&Cs Apply.

You can read all our latest Football Betting Tips at our dedicated Betfred Insights content hub.