Middlesbrough vs Hull City Prediction: How will life after Walter look for the Tigers?

Middlesbrough suffered somewhat of a shock home defeat to Blackburn Rovers on Wednesday night, as after scoring 15 goals in their previous three games, they failed to find the net against a stubborn Blackburn outfit. They will look to get their promotion push back on track as they welcome managerless Hull City to the Riverside. 

After a pretty dismal start to life in England, which culminated in a dismal 2-0 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday in midweek, saw Tim Walter shown the door despite him only replacing Liam Rosenior in the summer. Now managerless, this looks like a tough test for the Tigers as they make the short trip to Middlesbrough for this 12:30 kick-off. Live on Sky Sports+, below you can find my Middlesbrough vs Hull City predictions featuring team news and betting tips. 

Team News

It was a disappointing showing in midweek for Boro, and not just on the pitch. A lengthy injury list was added too as Riley McGree was forced off injured in the 19th minute with a dead leg, and will have to be assessed before the weekend. Meanwhile, Seny Dieng missed a second game with illness and Delano Burgzorg and Finn Azaz also joined the injury list. 

Boro boss Michael Carrick said: “They were out with illness tonight. There’s no getting away from the fact that we had some pretty good players on the sidelines tonight. Some injured, some ill.”

Hayden Hackney and Aidan Morris were also out injured with Jonny Howson and Daniel Barlaser partnering each other in the middle of the park. With such a tight turnaround, Carrick may have to settle for the same squad, although it will be interesting to see if 36-year-old Howson starts for the third game in a week. 

For Hull, we could see a complete shake-up after the departure of Walter. First-team coach Andy Dawson is in charge for this game, and it really is a guess as to what he is going to do. Kasey Palmer and Regan Slater started against Wednesday with little effect, while Chris Bedia could start ahead of Joao Pedro. 

I wouldn’t be surprised to see Ryan Giles given a chance at left-back or left wing-back as the talented wide man was frozen out somewhat by his former manager. If he comes into the team he may provide more balance to the side, as well as delivering crosses into the box. 

Middlesbrough vs Hull City Odds

Middlesbrough are 1/2 to win this game, giving them an implied win probability of 66%, while Hulll are priced at 11/2. A draw can be backed at 7/2, over 2.5 goals is 4/7 and BTTS is 8/11 while Emmanuel Latte Lath is the favourite to open the scoring at 9/2. 

BTTS @ 8/11

After the sacking of Walter, I think we will see a Hull City team playing with more freedom. I’m not sure any of the players particularly enjoyed playing under their former boss, so with Bedia and Giles trying to prove a point, I believe they can cause problems for Boro.

Boro’s attack is sensational, but their defence still leaves something to be desired. Despite their good form, they now haven’t secured a clean sheet in their last six games. With Hackney and Morris out injured, they appear to have lost control of the midfield slightly, and so I can see this being a fairly entertaining encounter, with goals at both ends. 

Emmanuel Latte Lath to score anytime @ 13/10

The Middlesbrough striker failed to find the net in midweek, but I don’t think that should put us off backing him to score here. Hull may show more attacking intent but I think their defensive weaknesses are going to take longer to solve. Latte Lath has scored five goals in his last six matches and I don’t think the Tigers have what it takes to stop him. 

We will back the Ivorian to find the net at 13/10, as I am not sure how much progress Hull can make in a couple of days. After four defeats on the spin, they need to stop the rot, but the Riverside is a tough place to go.

Offers

Place an In-Play single bet of £10 or more at odds of 1/2+ on any Premier League or Championship game on Friday or Saturday and get £5 in Free Bets to use In-Play on Sunday’s games. (Credited upon Bet Settlement).

Acca Flex

Place a pre-match 5+ leg Football accumulator and get a CASH bonus up to 100% if all of your selections win or your money back as CASH if one leg lets you down.

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