Middlesbrough vs Millwall — Tips & Analysis

Under 3: Middlesbrough control games at the Riverside, and a controlled game is usually a quiet one. Boro have won 6, tied 1 and lost 1 at home, scoring 2 goals a game there and letting in less than a goal a game. That defending sets the ceiling for this match. Millwall arrive in no state to raise it. They have eight players ruled out and two more doubtful, with Cundle, Doughty and Ivanovic among the names. Millwall score more than a goal a game, and only 6 of their last 14 games had 3 or more goals in them. Their patched up midfield will spend the night chasing the ball rather than keeping it. The history says the same thing. These sides have averaged just over 2 goals across their last 20 meetings. Both teams played three days ago, so nobody will be racing around late on. A 2-0 Boro win is the most likely finish, with the opener before half time and a second after the break to kill it off. That total lands this pick comfortably. The warning is a real one though. Millwall have let in 3 or more goals in three of their last five, losing 1-3 at Blackburn, 0-3 at home to Wrexham and 1-5 at Southampton. Boro's last home game also finished 4-3, so goals can arrive here in a rush. We still expect a much tighter night than that.