Middlesbrough vs Coventry City Prediction: Can Boro take their chances?

Middlesbrough will still be reeling from what happened at Carrow Road on Sunday. They were 3-1 up and had a penalty to put the game to bed, but Tommy Conway saw his spot-kick saved, and they ended up drawing 3-3. It was another example of a match this season in which Boro should have come away with all three points, but didn’t. 

Next up, they welcome Coventry City to the Riverside (15:00, Saturday), as they look to force themselves into the top six. The Sky Blues got a much-needed 3-2 win over Luton Town last time out, but are yet to win a game on the road this term. I’ll be at this game as an away fan, and below you can find my Middlesbrough vs Coventry predictions featuring team news and match odds. 

Team News

In order to highlight knife crime, Middlesbrough players will wear a special edition all-white kit and are urging fans to leave their red colours at home for 'No More Red' day at the Riverside Stadium. 

Having watched on as his side failed to take a boatload of chances this season, Michael Carrick has dropped Emmanuel Latte Lath in favour of Conway, and it paid off at Carrow Road. The striker scored twice and could have completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot, so he is nearly certain to start up top again here. 

Ben Doak has been outstanding for Boro on the right wing and will try and cause Coventry problems, while Aidan Morris and Hayden Hackney should continue their partnership in midfield, leaving captain Jonny Howson on the bench. 

Isaiah Jones and Micah Hamilton will try and force Riley McGree out of the starting lineup, while Anfernee Dijksteel surprisingly replaced Luke Ayling in the XI in that 3-3 draw, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Carrick named an unchanged team, after such an impressive first half showing. 

Meanwhile, Coventry boss Mark Robins is likely to play the 3-4-1-2 formation that worked so well against Luton, but there are some big decisions to be made. Centre-back Liam Kitching was named as the left wing-back to cope with Luton’s physicality last weekend, but at 2-0 down he was replaced by Jack Rudoni who did an excellent job going forward.

It meant Jay Dasilva was left watching on from the bench, but he could come into the starting XI if Robins chooses to go with a natural wide defender in that role. Up against Doak, it feels too much of a risk to start Rudoni there, while Dasilva’s tenacity could be just what the Sky Blues need. 

Elsewhere the team picks itself, with the only other debate being whether Victor Torp’s stunning equaliser is enough to win him a place ahead of Tatsuhiro Sakamoto in the number 10 role. Of course, Rudoni is also an option further forward, but they are all battling for a place behind the front two of Haji Wright and Ellis Simms, who proved their worth last weekend. Ben Wilson is pushing to get back to full fitness, while Jake Bidwell is set to be out until the international break. 

Middlesbrough vs Coventry Odds

Middlesbrough are priced at 8/11 to win this game, giving them an implied win probability of 58% for this home match. Coventry are available at 7/2, a draw is 3/1 and over 2.5 goals is 4/6. BTTS is the same price while Conway is the favourite to open the scoring at 9/2.

Middlesbrough to win and BTTS @ 11/5 

I predicted Cov to lose last weekend to Luton and I absolutely am not predicting them to lose again for superstition purposes. I just really like Boro this term and am convinced that they will finish in the top four. They are creating a huge amount of chances every game, more than any other team in the Championship and have posted the highest xG per 90 number in the second tier this term. 

They are such a brilliant team to watch and especially at home, should be able to pin Coventry back. Against Norwich, they were fantastic and had it not been for a missed penalty, two Borja Sainz wondergoals and a freak own goal by Seny Dieng, they would have won that game comfortably. I’m a big fan of Carrick and the football he plays, and despite Coventry’s impressive performance against Luton, we’ve not seen any consistency from them this term. 

Heading into a tricky run of fixtures, I’d be surprised if they can avoid defeat here, but they do pose an attacking threat. Wright and Simms, if they are in the mood on Saturday, can cause serious problems and Boro haven’t exactly been watertight at the back this campaign. Home win and BTTS feels like the most likely outcome.

Tommy Conway to score anytime @ 7/5

Given the copious amount of chances that Middlesbrough create, it feels right to back their in-form striker to find the net during the 90. He’s now a big part of Carrick’s plans having been left out of the squad for three consecutive matches at the start of the month. 

Now he is getting his match sharpness back, I think we will see him cause Coventry serious problems on Saturday. Keeping Latte Lath out of the team is a challenge in itself, but a brace against a very good Norwich outfit certainly should be enough to keep him in the team. Coventry don’t look great at the back despite their formation change, and haven’t kept a clean sheet in their last four outings. Conway should be able to find the net again.

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