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Middlesbrough v Coventry: Back Akpom and Gyökeres to hit the target at odds against

Mark O'Haire
17 May 2023
3:00 min read

Middlesbrough have been a force at The Riverside under Michael Carrick

Middlesbrough vs Coventry City
Wed 17 May, 20:00

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Middlesbrough meet Coventry for the second leg of their Championship play-off semi-final with the sides locked at 0-0 following the first fixture. Betfair writer Mark O'Haire is expecting an entertaining finale.

Boro strong at The Riverside
Coventry obdurate away
Star strikers could be key

Middlesbrough frustrated following first leg

Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick was generally pleased with Boro's performance in the goalless draw at Coventry in the first leg of their Championship play-off semi-final, but admitted there was a little frustration the Teessiders didn't make their first-half dominance count at the CBS Arena on Sunday.

In a game largely of two halves, Middlesbrough controlled proceedings for the first 50 minutes amidst a raucous atmosphere.

Boro hit the woodwork, saw a goal ruled out for a tight offside, and missed one early second-half chance by the narrowest of margins. Chuba Akpom and Isaiah Jones also both brought about first-half saves from the home side.

Carrick said, "I thought we did a lot of good things in the game. It comes down a little bit to the chances. Just moments where I thought generally, we played pretty well, and looked after their front line pretty well - which is not easy. It's just about adding that little bit of a cutting edge. We created two or three good opportunities but couldn't quite take them."

Middlesbrough welcomed back Dael Fry and Marcus Forss to the match-day squad for the first leg with the latter playing 25 minutes of the game, in a huge boost to Carrick's options.

The Teessiders are hoping to have Jonny Howson and Aaron Ramsey back in time to play some part in the play-offs but their involvement in Wednesday night remains doubtful.

Coventry fail to fire

A bumper 28,874 crowd were at the CBS Arena to see Coventry play out another stalemate in a tense and tight play-off semi-final first leg.

The Sky Blues struggled to find their stride and find top gear in the big match atmosphere and were unable to make home advantage count with Middlesbrough enjoying the most presentable goalscoring opportunities.

However, Coventry were the stronger suit in the second-half, enjoying plenty of positive play yet ultimately failed to have a single shot on-target across the 90 minutes.

The Sky Blues City either struggled to find a way through a disciplined Boro back line or lacked the cutting edge required when the occasional opportunity came their way.

City supremo Mark Robins refused to be downbeat, saying, "We're right in there, we're in a decent position still.

We'll go up there and we'll give it our best shot. There's still everything to play for and it's very finely balanced. We've nothing to lose. Everything shifts on to them now as they'll be expected to win. They'll be considered the favourites. That's fine."

Robins could look to make a tactical change by employing a box midfield and deploy an extra man in the middle at the expense of a striker.

Jamie Allen could therefore be recalled for the Sky Blues, although supporters are hoping to have Ben Sheaf available from the off following injury. Elsewhere, Gustavo Hamer is expected to shake-off a heavy knock to play.

Market makes Boro odds-on

Middlesbrough

Coventry City

Middlesbrough 0 1 Coventry City
Coventry City 0 0 Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough 1 1 Coventry City
Rotherham United 1 0 Middlesbrough
Luton Town 2 1 Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough 3 1 Hull City

Coventry City 1 1 Luton Town
Middlesbrough 0 1 Coventry City
Coventry City 0 0 Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough 1 1 Coventry City
Coventry City 2 0 Birmingham City
Coventry City 2 1 Reading

Middlesbrough vs Coventry City Wednesday 17 May, 20:00

Full stats

Middlesbrough are unbeaten in their last 13 home games against Coventry City (W9-D4-L0), a run that started way back in 1993 when the Teessiders were playing at Ayresome Park.

Since Boro have moved to the Riverside Stadium in 1995-96, the Sky Blues are actually the only side to have played here more than five times there without winning a single match.

Middlesbrough 1.8810/11 have managed only three wins across their last 11 matches (W3-D4-L4) as momentum stalled towards the campaign's conclusion.

However, Boro's record at The Riverside remains formidable; the Teessiders have posted W10-D2-L1 in Championship outings here since the World Cup break, plundering 35 goals in the process.

Coventry 5.004/1 come into this clash having suffered a solitary reverse in 18 outings (W8-D9-L1) and the Sky Blues are unbeaten in nine successive road trips (W4-D5-L0), conceding just four goals and keeping five clean sheets in that run.

It's City's best run on the road at this level since 1998. Even so, Mark Robins' men did go W1-D7-L6 at teams in 15^th and above.

Star strikers to shine

EFL play-off second legs tend to open up. Since 2000, and a 136-game sample, second leg matches across all three divisions have averaged 2.50 goals with 48% of encounters producing Over 2.5 Goals 1.9720/21 profit and 56% of encounters paying-out for Both Teams To Score 1.824/5 backers, both healthy increases on the traditionally tight first legs.

Riverside Stadium showdowns tend to be exciting and entertaining affairs under Michael Carrick.

The past 13 fixtures here have featured 3.38 goals - and with a collection of the Championship's hottest offensive properties on show, a goal-heavy game wouldn't be a huge surprise. Yet the timing of the opening strike is probably paramount.

Instead, I'm keen to dive into the Bet Builder and back the 2.07 available on both Chuba Akpom and Viktor Gyökeres to have 1 Or More Shots On-Target.

Akpom has scored 29 goals in all competitions and has landed the bounty in 31 (79%) of 39 appearances for the hosts, whilst averaging 1.43 on-target efforts per-90.

Meanwhile, Gyökeres has scored more away goals than any other player in the Championship this term. He's managed a SoT in 30 (64%) of 47 outings, averaging 1.27 per-90.

Back Akpom & Gyökeres to have 1 Or More Shots On-Target @ 2.07

2.07

Mark's 2022/23 Profit/Loss

Staked: 81 pts

Returned: 88.40 pts

P/L: +7.40 pts

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