When Middlesbrough Football Club’s men take to the pitch this weekend it won’t just be a potential three points on the line. Despite being relative minnows in the context of the Premier League, the Riverside team have enjoyed a fruitful start to the 2016/2017 football season and now they have a chance to go down in history.
For Boro, promotion from the Championship last season was a defining moment in the club’s history and Aitor Karanka’s side has a chance to add some more sparkle to their résumé with a victory over Crystal Palace.
With a win and two draws already under their belt, Middlesbrough are placed sixth in the Premier League’s three games. That sort of form means that Middlesbrough are already the most successful newly promoted side of the football season, but a win against Palace could take things a step further.
The Stats Favour Boro
According to the stats, a win on September 10 would make Middlesbrough the third most successful newly promoted Premier League side in history. What does that mean in reality? Well, in short, it means Middlesbrough are playing way beyond expectations so far this football season.
Of course, three points is clearly more important than a place in the history books, but there’s certainly nothing wrong with a little added incentive. In fact, a look through the current matrix of odds seems to suggest that Boro being on the cusp of something special has swayed the market. Bet365 and Unibet both have Boro as the 6/5 favourites, while BetVictor has as slightly better price at 13/10.
For those that like to rely on something more concrete than fate when they’re anteing up, it’s worth noting that Palace have only managed two League wins in 24 matches against Middlesbrough. Compounding that dismal record is the fact that Alan Pardew’s men have lost their opening trio of Premier League matches this season.
A Palace Win Could Raise a Few Smiles
Of course, we all know that football is a funny old game and you could be laughing all the way to the bank if Palace pull off an upset. Odds of 5/2 at Paddy Power and 13/5 at Betfred show some signs of value, while a slightly less lucrative 2/1 on a draw with William Hill appears to be something of a happy medium.
While the stats would suggest that Boro will clinch another three points on Saturday, there’s very little chance it will be a walkover. The pressure of a positive start can often hamper a newly promoted side and if this manifests itself over the weekend then Boro could quickly crumble. A single goal either way could easily determine the outcome of this game which makes Sky Bet’s markets an attractive proposition.
A Win Won’t Come Easy
8/11 on under 2.5 goals won’t pique the interests of many serious bettors, but 9/2 on a 1-0 Middlesbrough victory is certainly nothing to sniff at. Moreover, if you fancy the other side of the equation, a successful bet on a 1-0 victory for Palace will get a 13/2 return on your money, which by all accounts, appears to be one of the game’s best bets.
History might not be on Palace’s side, but a place in the history books could cause Boro to falter. Pressure can often turn strong sides into quivering wrecks, and if that happens on Saturday then Karanka’s men could find themselves in all sorts of trouble. However, if Middlesbrough’s players can block this fact out of their minds, another three points is certainly well within reach.
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