The Championship concludes on Saturday night as Rotherham travel to the Riverside to face Middlesbrough. Both teams have started this season in surprising fashion. Middlesbrough were strong in the betting to go up this season but have been very poor and conceded far too many. Rotherham were the preseason favourites to get relegated but have started the season strongly and currently sit in 9th.
Tipped by many to go up at the start of the season, defensively, Middlesbrough have been a shambles. Other than Hull, they have conceded the most goals of any team and have one clean sheet in their nine games so far. They come into this one on the back of a 3-2 loss when hosting Cardiff, where they were 3-0 down by half time. They will be disappointed with this after two good home wins against Sunderland and Swansea before that. The fans are starting to lose patience with Chris Wilder and he will need some points sooner rather than later to start to climb up the table, as they are only not in the relegation zone on goal difference.
Rotherham have been one of the biggest surprises in the early part of the season. Defensively, they have been solid, only conceding 6 goals – only behind Preston and Sheffield United. They have had four clean sheets in their eight games so far, and have looked very good going forward, scoring at least two goals on four different occasions – mainly led by young Irish forward Chiedozie Ogbene.
Middlesbrough v Rotherham United Bet Builder Tips
Both Teams to Score
As mentioned earlier, Middlesbrough have been terrible at the back. Their five home games have seen 15 goals, and both teams to score has landed in four of the five – only losing to Sunderland, who did not have their main talisman Ross Stewart. They would have hoped to build on this clean sheet but clearly have not done this as they conceded three in 45 minutes to an average Cardiff side.
Rotherham have been much more solid at the back but showed signs of weakness last time out on the road as they conceded three to Sunderland. Whilst they have only conceded six, the teams they have kept clean sheets against (Blackpool, Birmingham, Preston and Reading) are much weaker going forward than this Middlesbrough side. Goals have not been a problem for them, and given Middlesbrough’s worries at the back, they should manage to find the back of the net at least once.
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Prediction: Both Teams to Score
Chiedozie Ogbene to Score or Assist
Ogbene has been Rotherham’s main man this season. They will be gutted that he is yet to sign a new contract, and it is expected they will lose him at the end of the season. I have no doubt he will move to a Championship club with much higher intentions and ambitions than Rotherham at the moment. He has taken to the Championship like a duck to water and has stood out for them as their top scorer with five goals.
Ogbene has had 19 shots already this season, and in five of his ten games he has had at least three shots. He has also had nine shots on target. The Irish international also refound his shooting boots in midweek when they hosted Blackpool. Given Middlesbrough’s defensive issues, Rotherham should have some chances, and as their main man, you would expect that Ogbene would be in prime position for some of them.
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Prediction: Chiedozie Ogbene to Score or Assist
Over 3.5 Cards
Middlesbrough rank the highest in the league for card averages. They have seen an average of 4.89 cards shown per game so far this season, and their number of cards reads like this: 4, 5, 6, 3, 5, 9, 6, 6, 2. This line would have landed in seven of their nine games and in each of Middlesbrough’s first three games at the Riverside so far this season. Last time out against Cardiff, the game seemed dead at 3-0 and so there were no cards until Middlesbrough scored twice in quick succession heading into the last 10 minutes – and then ended with two. They have averaged 2.67 cards per match for across the season, and given the pressure that Wilder and the players are facing following a poor start, I expect them to add to this.
Rotherham’s cards stats at home to not read too highly, however this is a different story away. Away from home, this line has landed in all three games with 4, 5 and 4, compared to in only one of five games at the New York Stadium. The referee for this game is Tim Robinson, who has officiated six games so far this season, showing a total of 23 cards, averaging just under 4 cards per game this season and this selection would have landed in four of the six games.
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Prediction: Over 3.5 Cards
Over 9.5 Corners
These teams have both good for corners so far this season. Middlesbrough average 10.33 corners per game, and average over six corners for per game. At home, this line has landed in three of their five matches. Rotherham average 9.75 corners and concede almost six per game, suggesting Middlesbrough will have some opportunities from corners. This data has also been skewed due to their performance at Sunderland, where there were only 3 corners in the whole game. Excluding this game, Rotherham have seen at least nine in every single game so far.
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Prediction: Over 9.5 Corners
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Predicted Line-ups
Middlesbrough predicted XI (3-5-1-1): Roberts; McNair, Fry, Clarke; Jones, Crooks, Howson, Mowatt, Giles; McGree; Muniz
Rotherham United predicted XI (3-1-4-2): Johansson; Hall, Wood, Harding; Norton-Cuffy; Rathbone, Barlaser, Wiles, Bramall; Ogbene, Washington
* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing *
How to watch Middlesbrough v Rotherham United in the Championship?
📅 When is Middlesbrough v Rotherham United? / Saturday 17th September 2022, 7:45PM
🏟 Where is Middlesbrough v Rotherham United? / Riverside Stadium (Teesside)
📺 What TV channel is Middlesbrough v Rotherham United on? / Sky Sports Football 🟨 …And who is the referee for Middlesbrough v Rotherham United? / T. Robinson 🏴
