Coventry v Middlesbrough: Sky Blues backed in solid Bet Builder

• Coventry impressed despite defeat at Leicester

• Middlesbrough missing offensive threat

• Sky Blues central to Bet Builder approach

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Coventry v Middlesbrough
Saturday August 12, 12:30
Live on Sky Sports

Despite suffering a 2-1 defeat at ante-post favourites Leicester last weekend, Coventry 2.546/4 chief Mark Robins was enthused by what he saw.

The Sky Blues boss said, "We looked like we can be a really good side this year" as last season's play-off final losers impressed at the King Power Stadium, firing in 20 efforts at goal, but were made to pay for their profligacy.

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The East Midlanders have an opportunity to bounce back on Saturday when they welcome Middlesbrough to the CBS Arena. City were rock-solid operators on home soil in 2022/23, suffering only five league defeats in front of their own supporters, and Cov also returned an impressive W6-D2-L1 when welcoming fellow top-10 finishers.

Middlesbrough 3.02/1 opened their account with a disappointing late loss to Millwall at The Riverside. Boro failed to fire with their need for additional signings in attack glaringly apparent throughout. Last season's top Championship goalscorer Chuba Akpom was an unused substitute after missing most of pre-season with a knee injury.

Michael Carrick accepted Middlesbrough "need to better" and he'll hope to see a reaction on Saturday. However, the Teessiders' rocky road record over the past 12 months is concerning enough to leave Boro alone here; the visitors returned W3-D0-L8 at top-half teams last term, conceding multiple goals on seven occasions.

So with Middlesbrough still finding their feet, and Coventry making moves in the right direction, I'm quite happy to keep the Sky Blues onside here.

Contrasting goal trends

A clash of styles could be in the offing at the CBS Arena, making a solid goals play difficult to decipher. Coventry can call upon plenty of firepower coming into this clash, yet Mark Robins' men have been praised in the past for their defensive diligence, and out of possession set-up. The Sky Blues are a difficult side to oust.

Whereas Middlesbrough's cavalier approach often leads to more open and entertaining encounters. Last season Boro managed just four clean sheets on their travels with away days averaging a whopping 3.26 goals per-game with 17/23 (74%) breaking the Over 2.5 Goals barrier - a repeat can be snapped up at [19/20].

Coventry central to Saturday's Bet Builder

I was eager to support Coventry in some shape or form this weekend. The Sky Blues are available at [3/4] in the Draw No Bet market, however, we can back Coventry Double Chance and Under 3.5 Goals at the same [3/4] offering via the Bet Builder.

That means, we'll be paid out should the hosts win by any of the following correct scores: 1-0, 2-0, 3-0, 2-1, or even if the match ends in a 0-0 or 1-1 stalemate. This same selection paid out in 15/23 (65%) of City's home fixtures last term, plus home and away encounters with Middlesbrough.