Kick-off: 1500, 11/08/2018
Stadium: Riverside Stadium
Middlesbrough did the double over Birmingham in the Championship last season and are again expected to come out on top when they meet on Teesside this Saturday.
Boro beat the Blues 2-0 at the Riverside nine months ago and then prevailed 1-0 against City at St Andrew’s in March.
Punters can get 31/20 for the North-East outfit to oblige without conceding once more and that is our first Middlesbrough vs Birmingham prediction.
A Look At Middlesbrough’s Betting Odds
Middlesbrough took a long time to get going in an opening 2-2 draw at Millwall but were much sharper when beating Sheffield United 3-0 at this venue on Tuesday.
Martin Braithwaite, imposing new defensive recruit Aden Flint and Stewart Downing all struck inside 25 minutes and Boro could have been even further in front at that point.
Tony Pulis has seen incisive winger Adama Traore, Ben Gibson and Patrick Bamford sold for big money in the last week but still has a solid squad.
Local talent Lewis Wing provided two assists versus the Blades and looks a bargain buy from non-league Shildon.
“I was delighted with Wingy, but I thought there were a lot of players who played really well,” commented Pulis.
Looking at the Middlesbrough vs Birmingham odds, we like 17/10 for the hosts to make another fast start and lead at half-time and full-time.
A Look At Birmingham City’s Betting Odds
Birmingham led twice against Norwich on the opening weekend, including when substitute Viv Solomon-Otabor put them 2-1 ahead in the 89th minute.
However, Onel Hernandez completed his brace for the Canaries in the fourth minute of stoppage time to leave the scores level at the final whistle.
“It is always frustrating when you have a win within your grasp only to concede a late equaliser,” said Blues boss Garry Monk.
City are expected to be involved in another relegation battle this term, so taking on a leading contender for promotion away from home is a tough test.
We’re adding 27/4 for Boro to win 2-0 to our Middlesbrough vs Birmingham betting tips.
Additional stats
Last result:
MIDDLESBROUGH 3-0 Sheff Utd – Martin Braithwaite, Aden Flint, Stewart Downing
BIRMINGHAM 2-2 Norwich – Jacques Maghoma, Viv Solomon-Otabor
Head-to-head: Birmingham 0-1 Middlesbrough, Middlesbrough 2-0 Birmingham
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