Middlesbrough v Hull: Akpom backed to lead Boro charge

• Boro average 2.67 goals at home under Carrick

• Hull no easy meat under Rosenior

• Akpom appeals at odds-against

Boro back to winning ways

Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick said he was delighted to see his side return to their ruthless ways on Friday as Boro beat fellow play-off hopefuls Norwich 5-1 at the Riverside.

Two goals from Cameron Archer as well as strikes from Aaron Ramsey, Hayden Hackney and Chuba Akpom saw the Teessiders end their three-match winless run in style.

Boro started supremely, scoring four times before the interval, consolidating their place in the top-six with a clinical effort following three below-par displays.

Speaking post-match, Carrick said: "It's a great result. In a strange way, I actually think we've played better in other games, but we had that really clinical feel about us and were ruthless. I thought we got the balance right, we defended generally pretty well and we looked good at the other end. It was a terrific win and really important for us. It feels very good."

But Carrick admitted he is counting the number of players he'll have available for Hull as injuries mount. Boro were without Dael Fry and Riley McGree on Friday and then lost both Ramsey and Marcus Forss during the game.

It leaves Middlesbrough's options depleted, particularly in the forward areas, as we reach the business end of the season.

Hull stand firm at Ewood Park

Hull's newfound resilience under Liam Rosenior survived another stern test away from home on Saturday evening as the Tigers earned a point in a 0-0 draw at Blackburn, denting Rovers' top-six dreams.

It was City's fourth successive game without a recognised striker yet the Humbersiders had chances of their own to secure an unexpected success at Ewood Park.

A much-improved attacking display after the half-time interval gave Hull opportunities with Regan Slater and Allahyar Sayyadmanesh coming closest, whilst young debutant Harry Vaughan impressed in the number 10 role.

The goalless game was the Tigers' 12^th draw under Rosenior's watch but extended a reasonable run to just a solitary reverse in seven.

Reflecting on the Blackburn match, Rosenior said: "We played some really good stuff. All in all, it was a really positive performance which we can build on. The lads are standing up to everything we get thrown at us. If we keep performing as consistently as this then the results will come. I'm proud of their efforts and their resilience."

However, injuries continue to bite. Already without leading scorer Oscar Estupinan, Benjamin Tetteh, Aaron Connolly and Cyrus Christie, City were unable to call upon Alfie Jones, Tobias Figueiredo and Ryan Longman at the weekend. Only Longman is considered to have an outside chance of being available for the midweek trip to Middlesbrough.

Boro short-priced favourites

Matches between Middlesbrough and Hull have tended to be competitive affairs. Boro boast a slightly superior W10-D3-L8 head-to-head advantage this century and were 3-1 winners when the duo met back in November.

The Teessiders have also claimed W7-D2-L1 when welcoming the Tigers to The Riverside in league action since 1990/91.

Middlesbrough's 1.528/15 hopes of automatic promotion faded following a run of just one league victory in five (W1-D2-L2). But Boro bounced back impressively on Friday to retain an excellent Riverside record (W12-D6-L3); under Michael Carrick's watch, the hosts have W9-D2-L1 here with their only reverse arriving against runaway league leaders Burnley.

Hull 7.4013/2 have proven to be solid operators under Liam Rosenior. The Tigers have suffered only five league losses in 24 (W7-D12-L5) with only five sides conceding fewer goals in that same sample. City are winless away at teams outside of the bottom-eight, yet have drawn eight of those 13 fixtures, including four of six trips to top-10 outfits under the current boss.

Akpom the angle at The Riverside

Middlesbrough have seen a whopping 20 (77%) of their 26 Championship contests under Michael Carrick feature Over 2.5 Goals 1.748/11 - half of those fixtures produced four goals or more with Boro striking at least twice on 18 (69%) occasions. The Teessiders are averaging an eye-catching 2.67 goals in front of their home supporters during that same sample.

Hull's fixtures under Liam Rosenior have proven much more reserved. The Tigers have paid out for Under 2.5 Goals 2.245/4 backers in 17/24 (71%) showdowns with matches averaging just 2.05 goals per-game.

Most recently, 16 of the Humbersiders' last 21 league dates have delivered a maximum of two goals, suggesting City are capable of keeping thigs competitive.

So I'll leave the traditional markets and instead focus attention on Middlesbrough's star striker Chuba Akpom. The 27-year-old has plundered a league-high 27 goals this season with 19 of his tally arriving on home soil.

Akpom's Friday night strike against Norwich was the eighth home game in succession he's found the back of the net (a joint-Championship record) and he's 2.0811/10 to extend that remarkable streak this midweek.