Middlesbrough VS Manchester City Match Prediction

These sides have been very even throughout their history against one another.  In 128 meetings all-time, City have won 51 times and Middlesbrough have won 49 times with 28 draws also being played out between the pair.  Here's a look at their last five meetings:

Mar 11, 2017: Middlesbrough 0-2 City (FA Cup)
Nov 5, 2016: City 1-1 Middlesbrough (BPL)
Jan 24, 2015: City 0-2 Middlesbrough (FA Cup)
Jan 2, 2010: Middlesbrough 0-1 City (FA Cup)
Feb 7, 2009: City 1-0 Middlesbrough (BPL)

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Middlesbrough vs Man City Prediction

Manchester City gets three points, and they effectively relegated Middlesbrough in the process.

Correct Score Prediction: Middlesbrough 0-2 Man City

Middlesbrough vs Man City Betting Tips and Odds

Bet365 have the following odds available for this match:

Middlesbrough are at 12/1 to win, a draw is at 17/4, and a Manchester City win is at ¼.

Middlesbrough are at 3/1 for the double chance should they win or get a draw here.

Both teams to score is set at 19/20 for yes and 4/5 for no.

A 1-0 win for Middlesbrough would bring you 50/1 odds if correct at full time!

Reason: The bookmakers have City as big favorites as the away side because Middlesbrough are in serious jeopardy of going down.  Being desperate isn't a good thing when you face a team as good and as quick as Manchester City. City won the previous meeting between the two sides as well, and they have a very good away record to bring with them and are searching for a top four place of their own as well.

Team News

Caretaker manager Steve Agnew might be without center back Danny Ayala after he hobbled off against Sunderland, but he otherwise looks to be completely free to pick any players he chooses as his side are fully fit and have no suspensions to deal with.  Agnew will need to find players that can take on the pace and the pressure of the City side and not wilt.  That might mean picking different players than what were selected against Sunderland during the week.

Key Man

Goalkeeping has been a position of intrigue throughout the season at Middlesbrough.  American goalkeeper Brad Guzan looked to have had the #1 spot taken away from him by Victor Valdes, the former Barcelona great, but Guzan has gotten the shirt back after some shaky performances from the Spanish man.  Now, Guzan has to be prepared for one of the hardest tests of his career.  The former Aston Villa shot stopper is no stranger to high pressure matches, and he knows all too well what it is like to be relegated.  He will not want to taste that again as he gets ready to move back across the sea to play for Atlanta United starting this summer in MLS.  Guzan will have to save a lot of shots, and he will have to make great decisions for 90 minutes for Boro to get the biggest result of their season so far.  Whether he does it or not could mean the difference between Boro going or staying.

Team Form

Middlesbrough have one win, three losses, and a draw in their last five matches.  A bad 4-2 loss away to Hull really hurt them before they did further damage by drawing 0-0 at home with Burnley.  A 1-2 home loss to Arsenal was then followed up by a 4-0 walloping away to Bournemouth.  They did give themselves a little bit of hope, however, on Wednesday with a 1-0 win at home Sunderland.

Expected Line-up: 4-3-3
 

Team News

Pep Guardiola will be unable to use center midfielder Ilkay Gundogan again.  The absence of Gundogan has hurt them a lot this season, as it has made their midfield a little bit less mobile and more sterile in their movement.  He will be a welcomed sight back.  The loss of Bacary Sagna has seen a lot of rotation and experimentation from Guardiola as he tries to find the best option there, but the Frenchman made the bench in the derby and will be in contention to play a role in this match.  Goalkeeper Claudio Bravo had won back his starting spot for the Manchester derby, but he went off with an apparent calf injury and looks very unlikely to play a part in this match here.  The match was also notable for the (via substitute) return of Gabriel Jesus.  It may be too early for him to start, but don't be surprised to see him used earlier than the 80th minute this time around.

Key Man

The Manchester Derby was a letdown for a lot of people.  Fans, pundits, commentators, and players alike will be left a little disappointed.  Some more so than others, but perhaps the man that will be most disappointed is Kevin De Bruyne.  The match was always going to be tough as United sat back and defended for long stretches of the action.  City's real chances were going to come from out wide and on set pieces.  And De Bruyne, with 15 assists in the league this season, was supposed to be lethal from those situations.  But he was largely, as the game in itself, disappointing with his delivery on the day.  That will have left a few people frustrated, but that can all be forgotten rather quickly with a good performance out of him come Sunday at Middlesbrough.  There will be times when the match looks very similar to the one that they just played, and he will need to learn and improve from the outing against United to help his City side stay in the fight for the top four.

Team Form

Manchester City have one draw, two losses, and two wins in their last five matches in all competitions.  They lost 2-1 away to Chelsea before scoring three goals in wins over Hull City (at home 3-1) and away to Southampton (0-3).  They then blew a one goal lead in the FA Cup semi-finals against Arsenal on Sunday to see them lose 2-1 in extra time.  On Thursday, they hosted rivals Manchester United, and they drew 0-0.

Expected Line-up: 4-5-1

Middlesbrough are truly in must-win mode. To realistically stay alive, they need four wins from these four matches. That would take them to 39 points, which might just be enough for safety. If their rivals slipped up, a draw could do here, but they really do need wins. And seeing as how they just got their very first win of 2017 against the very bottom side, no less, you just can\'t see how they are going to make it two. They had a very nervy win over Sunderland, so making the jump to beating City would be a massive stretch for them. But it is football, and the ball is round, as they say. Anything can happen, and Middlesbrough will be hoping for a poor City side to show up so that they can capitalize and keep up the fight for another week. As for Manchester City, they are still in the thick of things in the top four chase and will feel confident of finishing out in third or fourth as they now have just the Premier League to focus on. They couldn\'t see themselves to a win against United, but it hasn\'t completely taken them out of it by any means. They just need to match United and Arsenal now, and they will at least make the Champions League. Although, they would have to be considered as huge favorites to win the league next season if they weren\'t having to take part in it....

Middlesbrough have a great record of not conceding many goals when at home. They have given up just 19 goals at home this season, which isn\'t too bad considering where they are in the table right now. But they aren\'t very good at scoring them, either, having only registered 14 home goals this season. When they do score goals, it\'s treated like a miracle. It\'s going to take two or three, at least, you\'d feel to beat City, and it\'s hard to see how they can come up with that many.