Middlesbrough vs Plymouth Prediction: 100/1 scorecast worth consideration

We’ve got a stupendous round of fixtures coming our way on Good Friday and one of those from the Championship sees relegation-threatened Plymouth Argyle travel to play-off hopefuls Middlesbrough (15:00). Michael Carrick’s men sit just three points off the top-six and they will look at this game as one they have to win if they are to keep their hopes of Premier League football next term alive. 

Below you can find my Middlesbrough vs Plymouth predictions as we search for a winner at the Riverside.

Football Odds

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Does Carrick stick or twist for this one? Back-to-back 1-0 defeats have dented Boro’s ambitions but they have come against two decent sides in Leeds United and Millwall. That loss at the Den felt pretty seismic, but this squad still possesses the talent to catch Bristol City and Coventry, the two teams within arm's reach of the chasing pack. 

Jonny Howson has done incredibly well filling in at centre-back in recent weeks but Dael Fry is now back fit and a more natural choice alongside Rav van den Berg. Anfernee Dijksteel will play at right-back while Hayden Hackney and Aidan Morris remain their best midfield duo. 

The top end of the pitch is where we could see changes. Morgan Whittaker has still not caught fire at Boro while Delano Burgzorg and Finn Azaz have also underperformed in the last two outings. I’d expect Azaz to keep his place, but Kelechi Iheanacho and Riley McGree are now pushing for starts having come off the bench at the Den. Star man Ben Doak is on his way back and will hope to play some part before the end of the campaign. 

Meanwhile, Plymouth manager Miron Muslic could call upon two substitutes that made a big impact in the win over Sheffield United. I’d expect Joe Edwards to get a start while Muhamed Tijani’s late winner may have earnt him a place in the XI. 

Ryan Hardie and Mustapha Bundu should keep their places in the final third so Callum Wright could be the one to drop out to accommodate Tijani. After a battling display, I’d expect the rest of the team to remain unchanged, with Jordan Houghton and Adam Randall likely to continue their partnership in midfield. 

Middlesbrough vs Plymouth Odds

Middlesbrough are unsurprisingly the favourites to win this game, priced at just 1/3 to scoop maximum points. A draw is 4/1 while Plymouth are 13/2 to take a vital win, one which would be only their second away from Home Park all season. 

That away form has left them in the mire and they’ve also managed just eight away goals, so BTTS is priced at 8/11. Over 2.5 goals if you fancy backing it is 8/15 while Tommy Conway is 4/1 to open the scoring having scored 12 in red this term. 

Middlesbrough to win and BTTS @ 7/4

I don’t think this will turn out to be a simple home win for Carrick’s side, but I do believe that they will get the job done in front of their own fans. They’ve got so much attacking quality and I’m not too worried by the fact that they have lost back-to-back games narrowly. 

Plymouth’s honking away record will be the reason they get relegated if they do go down and although they’ve given themselves a shot in the arm, they are still a poor side on the road. Just one win and six draws from 21 away fixtures so far is horrendous, and although Wayne Rooney must take some responsibility for that earlier in the season, they looked tepid in their last away trip against Swansea as they lost 3-0. 

Goals are a real problem on the road and they’ve only scored eight all season, but I am going to, perhaps naively, back BTTS to come in as well. I like this selection because of what is at stake at this stage of the season. Middlesbrough simply have to win, so they will be pushing men forward at will, while Plymouth have nothing to lose by throwing players forward if they are behind at any point. Both teams need maximum points, but I think Boro’s class will just shine through. 

Scorecast - Ryan Hardie to score first and Middlesbrough to win 2-1 @ 100/1

A bit of a Hail Mary? Sure. But I like punting on a scorecast every now and then. Middlesbrough have conceded the first goal in three of their last four matches, while two of their last three home matches have ended in 2-1 victories. The only exception to that was the 1-0 loss at home to league leaders Leeds, so I feel comfortable backing that scoreline again. 

I also think it is worth backing Plymouth’s main man to find the net first, given I believe the away side may start with a bang. Hardie is now up to nine goals for the season and scored a poacher’s finish against the Blades at Home Park on Saturday. He’s scored three in his last three matches and will play a key role in Plymouth’s escape act if they manage to climb out of the bottom three. 

I think this is worth a small punt at the Riverside. 

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