Bournemouth aim to get back on track in the Championship’s promotion race on Saturday as they travel to rejuvenated Middlesbrough. Mark O’Haire shares his favourite fancy.
“The hosts have W2-D2-L1 under the new boss’ watch, with Boro ranking inside the top-four for the majority of performance data metrics during those five fixtures”
Middlesbrough making steady progress
Middlesbrough made it three consecutive Championship games unbeaten for only the second occasion this season after playing out a 0-0 draw at Stoke last Saturday. There were only two efforts on-target throughout the match, but new Boro boss Chris Wilder left the bet365 Stadium happy with the result, as well as his team’s performance.
In game of contrasting styles, the Teessiders dominated possession but only created one guilt-edged chance and other half-chances as Duncan Watmore‘s first half miss ensured they wouldn’t leave victorious. But Wilder was satisfied with his team’s control of possession and the point they ultimately took from the game.
Wilder said: “We can be delighted with our performance. Joe has made a couple of good saves. We have missed a couple of good chances. But we have come to a team that has established Championship/Premier League players that are expected to go well. To come here and get a deserved result, is good for everybody. We can be very pleased.”
Bournemouth drop points again
Bournemouth‘s faltering recent form continued last weekend as the second-placed Cherries lost 2-0 to fellow Championship high-fliers Blackburn. Scott Parker‘s side, who have won just once in seven games and surrendered their position at the top of the table in recent weeks, have also seen the gap to third-placed West Brom now reduced to only three points.
Blackburn took the lead somewhat against the run of play as Ben Brereton Diaz’s shot came off the bar and went in off Cherries’ midfielder Ben Pearson. But Rovers secured a second from a corner midway through the second half to seal the points. Bournemouth goalkeeper Mark Travers was also called into action late on to ensure the score remained at two.
The hosts struggled to make any sort of impact and post-match Parker admitted his side need to do more. He said: “We tried to probe a very well-organised and disciplined side in Blackburn, we need to improve that. We are where we are at this moment in time. We’re in a bad spell, I can’t dress this up. We need to understand that we need to react in the right way and get to the team we were and the results we had only four or five games ago.”
Middlesbrough and Bournemouth have met just eight times in league action since 1990 with the Cherries enjoying a W3-D4-L1 supremacy in that sequence. The Dorset club picked up four points from matches against Boro last season but are still chasing a first-ever away win at Middlesbrough. Four of the most recent five meetings here have ended all-square.
Middlesbrough 2.707/4 have made immediate improvements under Chris Wilder’s tutorship. The hosts have W2-D2-L1 under the new boss’ watch, with Boro ranking inside the top-four for the majority of performance data metrics during those five fixtures. The hosts also come into this contest with a respectable W2-D4-L2 record against fellow top-10 teams.
Bournemouth 2.809/5 enjoyed a club-record unbeaten start to the campaign, avoiding defeat in their opening 15 fixtures. However, the Cherries have since tabled a solitary success in seven to relinquish top spot (W1-D3-L3). The visitors do own a rock-solid road record (W6-D4-L1), and have claimed W5-D4-L1 when taking on top-half teams this term.
Middlesbrough have tightened up since Chris Wilder arrived, picking up back-to-back clean sheets. Boro have scored themselves in 10 of their past 11 Championship outings, although still lack a clinical edge in the final-third, notching multiple goals in only eight fixtures this season. At The Riverside, just 38% of encounters have produced Over 2.5 Goals 2.1011/10.
Bournemouth have silenced 10 of their 22 opponents under Scott Parker yet the Cherries’ defensive resilience has wavered in recent weeks. The south coast club have kept a solitary shutout in seven, conceding twice or more in four of those recent outings. Both Teams To Score 1.804/5 has been the correct selection in five of Bournemouth’s last seven showdowns.
With Bournemouth stuttering and Middlesbrough trending in the right direction, I’m happy to keep the hosts onside whilst dipping into the Bet Builder to partner up Middlesbrough Double Chance and Under 3.5 Goals at 1.758/11.
Source: Betfair UK English Championship
