Aston Villa v Middlesbrough Tips: Villans on their way to Wembley?
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Aston Villa and Middlesbrough will bid to join Fulham in the Championship play-off final when they square up at Villa Park this evening.
Steve Bruce’s men hold the advantage in the tie after Mile Jedinak’s near-post header gave the Villans a 1-0 advantage at the Riverside on Saturday.
The Midlands outfit have only lost two of their last 11 matches against the Teessiders.
And with seven wins in their last 10 home matches, Villa are the favourites to win the match inside 90 minutes at 6/5. You can back the draw at 21/10, with the away win priced at 5/2.
Our traders reckon the hosts should make it to Wembley at 1/6, against 7/2 for Middlesbrough, who’ll need to improve on an away record of two wins since the start of February.
Boro can take solace in their record against Villa Park, though. The North East side are unbeaten at the ground in their last six visits dating back to 2005.
If they’re to pick up a vital victory this evening, they’ll need marksman Britt Assombalonga to be at the top of his game.
The ex-Nottingham Forest man has bagged 15 goals so far this season but found chances limited in the first-leg. He’s 19/10 to make amends Anytime.
They’ll also need to be solid defensively to deny a Villa side which boasts the Championship’s second-best home goalscoring record. If you think they can do it, it’s 17/4 for Boro to Win to Nil.
However, if Tony Pulis fails to pull off what could prove to be a vital clean sheet, then the hosts have plenty of players waiting in the wings that can do some serious damage.
Lewis Grabban has bagged four goals in his last five matches. You can back the forward at 9/5 to Score Anytime. Jonathan Kodjia is the same price.
Likewise, Robert Snodgrass is always a danger from set-pieces. Against a Boro side which has a habit of conceding fouls, he’s 14/5 to net.
Regardless of who plunders a goal, we’re expecting things to be tight.
The last eight Championship play-off semi-final matches dating back to 2016 have all see two goals or fewer scored. It’s 4/7 for there to be Under 2.5 Goals tonight.
Both Teams to Score – No, is 3/4.
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All Odds and Markets correct as of date of publication
