Norwich City are building up quite a head of steam in the EFL Championship and will be out to make it seven games without defeat when Middlesbrough come calling.
It took the Canaries a while to take flight under Johannes Hoff Thorup but that was understandable with the new manager overseeing a big turnover of players in the summer.
Thorup has them soaring now and Tuesday's 2-2 draw on the road at Preston lifted them to within striking distance of the play-off places. Norwich have yet to taste defeat at home this term but it won't be easy against Middlesbrough.
Michael Carrick's side snapped their two-game losing streak when they beat high-flying Sheffield United on Wednesday night, a result that left them sitting eighth.
I thought that game would be tight and that's how it panned out with Emmanuel Latte Lath scoring the only goal 10 minutes from time.
Middlesbrough just missed out on the play-offs last term but Carrick has assembled a squad capable of mounting a promotion push this time if they can find a bit of consistency.
How the bookies view it: Too close to call
With Norwich City in such excellent form I thought they would be slight favourites but the bookies are sitting on the fence. Betano price the Canaries at 31/20 and Norwich at 6/4, with the draw paying 12/5.
Recent head to head: Boro bossing it
Middlesbrough have dominated this fixture in the last few years, winning the last four in a five-game unbeaten run. Boro won 2-1 on their last visit to Carrow Road, with both teams netting in second-half stoppage time.
Players to watch: Brilliant Borja in the groove
Borja Sainz delivered when I flagged him up for goals against Watford and Hull City. The Spaniard also hit a stunning hat-trick against Derby and is on nine goals for the season. He's 17/10 at Betano to grab another goal here and a tempting 6/4 at Bet365 to either score or assist.
Carrick will be hoping that midweek strike gets Emmanuel Latte Lath firing again after he bagged 18 goals last term. The Nigerian has only netted twice this term and is 15/8 at Betano for anytime scorer.
Probable line-ups
Norwich keeper Angus Gunn remains out injured along with Marcelino Nunez, Liam Gibbs, Christian Fassnacht and Ashley Barnes. Middlesbrough are missing Alex Gilbert, Lukas Engel, Jonny Howson, Dael Fry, Darragh Lenihan, Thomas Smith and Alex Bangura.
Norwich City: Long, Duffy, Doyle, Cordoba, Fisher, Ben Slimane, McLean, Nunez, Sainz, Sargent, Crnac.
Middlesbrough: Dieng, Van den Berg, Ayling, Edmundson, Borges, Hackney, Hamilton, Morris, Conway, Doak, Latte Lath.
Anything else catch the eye?
Norwich City have been leading at half-time in their last three games at home so there could be some value in backing them to come out on top in the first half at 21/10 with Betfred.
The last two games at Carrow Road have also seen 11 and 15 corners respectively so it could pay to back a few flag kicks here. Over 10.5 corners looks decent value at evens with Bet365.
Kenny McLean is always at the heart of the midfield battle and the Canaries veteran is 2/1 at Bet365 to pick up a fifth card this term.
This England Championship match between Norwich City and Middlesbrough will be played on Oct 27, 2024 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Norwich City vs Middlesbrough prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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