Championship: Bournemouth v Middlesbrough Preview & Betting Tips

Up For Grabs

Although Bournemouth currently have a healthy gap over Huddersfield at present, nothing is a given in the Championship and with them hosting fellow promotion hopefuls Middlesbrough this Friday, there could still be another twist in this fascinating race.

In Automatic Gear

When Scott Parker switched employers in the summer, it was viewed as a sideways move at best and with his former club now looking very likely to secure a return to the Premier League, the former Fulham boss will look to emulate similar success with Bournemouth.

Because although winning the second tier of English football is out of reach this season, the other automatic promotion spot is certainly not and with the Cherries having both points on the board and games in hand over Huddersfield, second place is very much theirs to lose.

While losing is certainly not on the agenda this weekend and with one foot already pointing towards the Premier League, Parker and his Bournemouth charges will look to make a considerable step with other.

With that said, opponents Middlesbrough will be doing their level best to have a say in the promotion race and although they are 8th before the start of the Easter EFL activity, they also have a game in hand over Sheffield United in 6th.

Which means there is still work to be done by Chris Wilder and if he is to return his squad to the play-offs places, they will first need to end a burgeoning streak of league defeats – one that currently stands at two.

Reverses to both Fulham and Hull have halted Middlesbrough’s bid to finish in the top-six at the end of the season and should they fail to get the better of Bournemouth on Friday, it will only give further impetus to both Sheffield United and Blackburn ahead of them.

When looking at the hosts’ own form going into this encounter, Bournemouth have also failed to win any of their last two matches and with just one point from the last six, they are being eyed up by Huddersfield below.

Then again, this will be the perfect opportunity to return to winning ways and with a Bournemouth victory plus both teams to score currently priced at odds of 10/3, that has certainly got my attention before kick-off.

While for those who like the sound of that outcome, but would rather wager on the correct score instead, Bet365 are also offering 8/1 for a 2-1 win to the Cherries and this should also be worth your consideration.

Ultimately, we now find ourselves at the business end of the season and with Premier League promotion meaning the biggest business of all, it is now time to see which team wins the jackpot and which team makes do with earning a ticket to the lottery of the play-offs in May.

* Betting odds correct at the time of publication. Odds subject to change.

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