Crystal Palace v Middlesbrough Betting Tips

Crystal Palace’s miserable run continued two weeks ago with a loss to Stoke City, which left them with just one win in their last 11 matches. They are in 19th place, level on points with Sunderland but ahead on goal difference, and three points behind Middlesbrough in 16th. Boro have had only one loss in their last five across all competitions (and that was to high-flying Spurs at White Hart Lane), and they will fancy their chances against a luckless Palace side.

Middlesbrough have won only one of the five meetings between these two sides since 2011, but their record against bottom-six sides this season has been solid: they’ve gone W3-D2-L2, keeping three clean sheets along the way and never being down at the half. By contrast, Crystal Palace are coming into this match on the back of three Loss/Loss Half Time/Full Time home results against bottom-six sides, and they are winless in their last five against such opposition at all venues. They can take some solace from the fact that Middlesbrough are winless on the road in the league since August, but they’ve picked up points at The Emirates and The Etihad since then.

Middlesbrough are outsiders for this one, but we think the bookmakers are overpricing them based on weak recent away form, and overlooking Crystal Palace’s dismal recent record against bottom-six sides. As such, the Middlesbrough-Draw double chance looks attractive.