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Aston Villa vs Middlesbrough Prediction & Betting tips
Villa Park is the setting for a duel between two teams on Saturday afternoon in the hunt for promotion to the Premier League. Middlesbrough is currently in fifth place, but knows that the number eleven of the Championship has only six points less. Villa is number eight four points less than Boro and can again take a big step towards the play-offs on Saturday afternoon.
Aston Villa:
In recent games, Aston Villa is finally starting to play football as a team looking for promotion to the highest football level in England. Villa has been struggling throughout the season with great volatility, but in recent weeks strong results have been achieved in certainly not the least matches. Competitors Derby County and Nottingham Forest were defeated with ample numbers (4-0 and 1-3 respectively) and in the Birmingham Derby archrival Birmingham City was set aside 1-0 by a goal from Jack Grealish. The midfielder was the center of the game, because besides his goal, the Irish international was attacked during the game by a “fan” of Birmingham City. It was no coincidence that Grealish scored the winning goal.
Due to the strong matches of Grealish since his return from an injury, the performances of his teammates are actually thrown back to the background. For example, John McGinn played the stars of heaven in the game against Forest. De Schot scored two beautiful goals in a time frame of four minutes and was also the master of the midfield. McGinn was in the base for the first time since 16 February. Dean Smith has preferred a midfield consisting of Grealish, Glenn Whelan and Conor Hourihane in recent weeks. Whelan, however, seems to have to fear for his base after McGinn’s gala performance.
Middlesbrough:
Middlesbrough suffered a sensitive defeat against Preston North End last Wednesday. Not only has the number four West Bromwich Albion finished three points after the loss, almost the entire left-hand row of the Championship has caught up with the team of Tony Pulis. Fifth place gives the right to a place in the play-offs at the end of the season, but Boro is by no means certain about participating. The differences are unprecedentedly small in the championship’s sub-top, and when matches against competitors such as Preston are lost, Middlesbrough must seriously take care that the season does not fall apart.
In most of the game against The Lilywhites, there seemed to be no cloud in the sky for Boro. Steven Fletcher opened the score after half an hour and goalkeeper Darren Randolph was hardly put to work at the Riverside Stadium. Middlesbrough also continued on the same, dominant footing in the second half and a victory seemed logical and well-deserved. However, the whole game changed dramatically after a direct red card from central defender Daniel Ayala. From the additional free kick, Preston scored the tying run and ten minutes before the end, the visiting party even took a 1-2 lead, which was no longer handed over. Pulis was furious after the red card from Ayala afterwards and did not understand the decision of referee Keith Stroud to send the Spaniard off the field. The young Dael Fry seems the logical replacement of Ayala for the game against Aston Villa.
Aston Villa vs Middlesbrough head to head matches
01.12.18 CHA Middlesbrough Aston Villa 0 : 3
15.05.18 CHA Aston Villa Middlesbrough 0 : 0
12.05.18 CHA Middlesbrough Aston Villa 0 : 1
30.12.17 CHA Middlesbrough Aston Villa 0 : 1
19.09.17 EFL Aston Villa Middlesbrough 0 : 2