Coventry City travel to Middlesbrough for their final Championship fixture of the season as they are seeking a point to confirm their place in the promotion playoffs. With Boro already safe and secure in fourth position, Coventry are expected to hold out for at least a draw at the Riverside Stadium.
Middlesbrough are coming off a 1-0 defeat at struggling Rotherham United last time out in the Championship. They say plenty of possession but surprisingly lacked the cutting edge in attach, finishing with just one attempt on target.
That was the second straight defeat for Middlesbrough, who were also beaten 2-1 at Luton Town in their previous fixture. Michael Carrick’s men appear to have taken their foot off the gas, with fourth place and playoff football already in the bag.
While recent results have been poor, Middlesbrough will be keen to end their regular season campaign on a high note in front of their fans. The good news is that the last two fixtures have been on the road and Boro return to the Riverside Stadium, where they have lost just once in their last 10 matches.
Coventry City travel to the Riverside Stadium off the back of a 2-0 victory Birmingham City in their previous Championship fixture. Both goals were scored in the first half with Viktor Gyokeres’ penalty three minutes before the break adding to an early opener from Joshua Eccles.
The Sky Blues have been making a late push for the playoffs in recent weeks and head into Monday’s finale unbeaten in their last five matches. Mark Robins’ men are currently fifth in the table and need just a point to confirm their place in the postseason.
Coventry City have also impressed on their recent travels, where they are unbeaten in their last eight Championship matches. However, four of those fixtures have ended in draws, including a 1-1 scoreline at Blackburn Rovers in their previous fixture on the road.
How the bookies view it
Middlesbrough have a slight edge among the bookies with a home win priced at 7/5 by Unibet. A victory for Coventry City is valued at 19/10 by bet365 while Paddy Power is offering odds of 5/2 for a draw.
Head to head
Middlesbrough have a 17-15 edge with 12 draws from 44 previous matches against Coventry City. The last four meetings are split evenly at two wins each with Coventry claiming a 1-0 victory in the reverse fixture back in October thanks to Gyokeres’ first half effort.
Players to watch
Chuba Akpom has been named Championship player of the season and will be looking to end the regular campaign with a bang. The attacker has 28 goals this term and is priced at 6/4 by William Hill to get on the score sheet on Monday.
Coventry also have attacking quality of their own, particularly Viktor Gyokeres, who has scored 22 Championship goals this season. The striker also grabbed the only goal in the reverse fixture and is priced at 7/4 by bet365 to find the net on Monday.
Anything else catch the eye?
Given the attacking quality in Middlesbrough and Coventry City, both teams could be backed to score on Monday at 4/6 with William Hill. Boro have seen over 3.5 goals in their last two home matches and a repeat is priced at 21/10 by Unibet, who is also offering odds of 10/13 for over 2.5 goals.
Middlesbrough saw more goals after the break in their last home fixture and Monday’s clash can be backed to follow a similar pattern at evens with bet365.
This England Championship match between Middlesbrough and Coventry City will be played on May 8, 2023 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Middlesbrough vs Coventry City prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
