Middlesbrough vs Stoke Prediction: Tough to call at the Riverside

Middlesbrough are absolutely flying right now at the top of the Championship. Rob Edwards has overseen five wins and two draws in the league so far, and they came from behind to protect their unbeaten record at Southampton on Saturday as they earned a 1-1 draw. 

Their next test comes at home to Stoke City (19:45, Sky Sports+), and it will be a stern one as Mark Robins has done a fantastic job in charge of the Potters and they currently sit third. Below you can find my Middlesbrough vs Stoke predictions featuring team news and more. 

Team News

It’s the first three-game week of the Championship season, but Middlesbrough are unlikely to make too many changes from the weekend's draw. We know that Edwards will probably line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation, with Alfie Jones, Luke Ayling and George Edmundsson likely to remain untouched in front of Sol Brynn.

Dael Fry was given major praise by his boss as he returns to fitness, but he is likely to have to wait for his chance. "He’s a huge part of the group and what we’ve done so far. To have him back with us is a really big boost. If we can keep him fit for the rest of the season it means we’re stronger, because of everything he can give. He’s a brilliant defender."

Aidan Morris and Hayden Hackney should maintain their midfield partnership while David Strelec, Morgan Whittaker and Tommy Conway should line up as the front three, although Sverre Nypan may replace one of those three given his quality. 

Football Odds

Stoke City have a settled starting XI right now, so Robins is unlikely to tinker too much. Sorba Thomas has been key as one of the attacking midfielders in the 4-2-3-1 formation, along with Bae Jun-ho and Million Manhoef behind Divin Mubamba.

Viktor Johansson is one of the best keepers in the league and will look for a clean sheet, providing the back four of Junior Tchamadeu, Bosun Lawal, Ben Wilmot and Aaron Cresswell. The returning Steven Nzonzi may come into the starting XI in midfield ahead of Tomas Rigo.

Today's Football Fixtures

Middlesbrough vs Stoke Odds

Middlesbrough are priced at 1/1 to win this game, giving them an implied win probability of 50%, while Stoke are available at 11/4. A draw can be backed at 12/5 while over 2.5 goals is 11/10.

If you fancy both teams to score you can back that at 10/11 while Conway and Strelec are both 9/2 to open the scoring. Betfred also have a few Price Boosts available for this fixture, which you can find on the link above.

Draw @ 12/5

I was going to back Boro to get the job done on home soil on Tuesday night. They are the unbeaten league leaders and have done everything right in both boxes so far, but their xG numbers don’t rank towards the top of the division.  

They rank 10th for xGD this season, which is the difference between the chances they’ve created and conceded, and their opponents Stoke rank seventh in the same statistic. Stoke have beaten Southampton away with 10 men while Boro drew there this weekend, and I think this is a really close one to call. 

Robins is a fantastic tactician who will be desperate to avoid defeat against the man who beat him in the 2023 Championship play-off final, in Edwards, and his former assistant manager at Coventry, Adi Viveash. I can’t split these two, and I imagine both would be satisfied with a point apiece.

Over 10.5 corners @ 6/5

I’m not usually one to pick out a corner bet, but I’ll break rank to do so for tonight’s game. Middlesbrough have so many threats and have won 4.86 corners per 90 this season, 9.43 in total per game on average. They’ve seen over 10.5 corners in 29% of their league outings this term, and in this even match, I think there will be plenty of shooting opportunities at both ends. 

Stoke have won an average of 6.43 corners per 90 this season which is high, with Thomas an obvious threat from set pieces. They have averaged a total of 10.43 corners in their matches and I believe that they will go direct against this Boro side. Decent price for over 10.5 corners. 

Offers

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