Middlesbrough host Barnsley in a midweek English Championship fixture at the Riverside Stadium as they look to continue their steady rise up the table. Barnsley are showing relegation form at the moment and are set to struggle against Boro, who have been particularly impressive at home.
Middlesbrough earned a 2-0 victory over Peterborough United last time out in the Championship. They laboured for much of the contest before finding the net late in the second half through Paddy McNair and Josh Coburn.
Neil Warnock’s men are slowly trying to get their season back on track after battling with inconsistency. They have been on a steady rise in recent weeks and are now just two points off the top 10.
Middlesbrough have been particularly impressive at home lately, winning their last two matches at the Riverside Stadium. They also appear to have tightened up at the back and have kept clean sheets on both matches.
Barnsley were beaten in their previous Championship fixture as they suffered a 1-0 defeat at Reading. They had more of the possession and created a number of chances but lacked the finishing touch in attack.
The Tykes have been one of the poorest teams in the Championship this season, claiming just one win from their opening 12 matches. It may still be early days in the season but Markus Schopp’s men are already showing relegation form and sit third from bottom.
Barnsley travel to Middlesbrough off the back of four straight Championship defeats. Goals have also been a problem for the visitors, who have failed to score in four of their last five matches.
How the bookies view it
The bookies have installed Middlesbrough as favourites with a home win priced at 19/20 with Unibet. An unlikely victory for Barnsley is priced at 7/2 with bet365 while a draw is set at odds of 27/11 with SBK.
Head to head
Middlesbrough have an 11-8 advantage with four draws from 23 previous matches against Barnsley. Both teams won their home fixture last season with Boro claiming a 2-1 victory in the clash at the Riverside Stadium.
Players to watch
Middlesbrough have multiple attacking threats with striker Uche Ikpeazu and midfielder Paddy McNair among the goals this season. Ikpeazu is priced to score anytime at 15/8 with bet365 while SBK is offering 33/10 on McNair in the same market.
Middlesbrough’s defence has also caught the eye in recent weeks with clean sheets in their last two home matches. Jonny Howsen and Sol Bamba often feature in central defence and will be confident of another clean sheet at 11/8 with BoyleSports.
Anything else catch the eye?
Middlesbrough have won to nil in their last two home matches and could be tipped for a repeat at 21/10 with BetVictor. Boro have been solid at the back and with Barnsley struggling for goals at the moment, they could be picked as the only team to score at 2/1 with William Hill.
A -1 handicap can also be explored for Middlesbrough at 11/4 with Skybet.
This England Championship match between Middlesbrough and Barnsley will be played on Oct 20, 2021 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Middlesbrough vs Barnsley prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
