Middlesbrough v Manchester United Betting Tips: Visitors to grind out another victory

Mar 17 2017
Mar 17 2017
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Sunday’s early Premier League kick-off sees relegation strugglers Middlesbrough host Champions League chasers Manchester United.

Middlesbrough finally relented in midweek and sacked manager Aitor Karanka following a run of no wins in the Premier League since 17th December 2016 which puts them down in 19th and three points off safety.

Karanka went for a defensive approach to survival and, during the Spaniard’s time at Boro, they had one of the most solid defences in the Premier League with just 30 goals conceded in 27 games. However, offensively they have been dreadful and are the division’s lowest scorers with a pathetic 19 whilst they have also failed to find the back of the net in the last four – this cost him his job in the end. It will be interesting to see what approach they take now in their survival campaign.

Boro may have lost just once in their last five home matches in all competitions, however, in the bread and butter of the top flight, they have picked up just three points from a possible 12 in the last four at the Riverside Stadium.

Manchester United put a run of three matches without victory behind them on Thursday night as they overcame Russian opponents FC Rostov 1-0 in the Europa League – I hope you followed my tip there. They are still chasing a top four spot and are six points behind but with two games in hand over current 4th place occupiers Liverpool.

Jose Mourinho’s side have been typically defensive so far this campaign and have one of the best back-lines in the league with just 22 goals conceded in 26 games. However, that clean sheet against Rostov on Thursday was their first in four games. United have really struggled in front of goal recently and will once again be without Zlatan Ibrahimovic on Sunday which could cause a few problems.

The Red Devils have been very good on their travels in the Premier League and have only dropped points in one of their last five games away from Old Trafford. They average two points per game on the road in the top flight – the third best record in the division.

In an odd post-match interview after the Rostov game, Mourinho said that, due to fixture congestion, United would probably lose this match against Middlesbrough. However, I cannot agree with him whatsoever. Boro may take a more attacking mentality for the rest of the season, but for this game, I imagine they will still look to defend which will mean they are once again ineffective going forward.

United’s defence is strong and Middlesbrough’s attack is weak. Although they are without Ibrahimovic, United should still win this and are likely to do so without conceding. ‘Manchester United to Win to Nil’, at 8/5, is the bet.

See more Premier League tips here.

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