Middlesbrough vs Reading Prediction, Odds and Betting Tips 04/03/2023

Middlesbrough
04/03/23 - 15:00

Finished

5

-

0

Reading

Middlesbrough - Reading

England Championship - Riverside

* Betting odds were correct at the time of publication but are subject to change.

Here we bring you Championship predictions for Middlesbrough vs Reading with the game due to take place on 4th March.

Middlesbrough vs Reading prediction and top betting tips

Middlesbrough will need to put together an almighty winning run between now and the end of the season if they're to sneak into the top two. Can they bounce back from defeat last time out to kickstart that run here? Find out with our Middlesbrough vs Reading match preview with free tips, predictions and odds mentioned along the way.

Middlesbrough vs Reading Prediction 1: Middlesbrough to win

We kick off our predictions for this game by backing Middlesbrough to win. Boro lost last time out, which dented their ambitions for an automatic promotion spot, but regardless of that, their form is vastly superior to that of Reading hence we see Michael Carrick's men winning this match. Middlesbrough have won each of their last six league games at home whilst Reading have lost each of their last five on the road and are winless in seven! On top of that, Middlesbrough dominate the head to head history with five wins in the last six meetings between the sides at the Riverside – the blemish on that six game run was a draw meaning Reading haven't won an away game at Boro since 2014!

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Middlesbrough vs Reading Prediction 2: Over 2.5 goals

Our next tip for this game comes from the total goals market and we're expecting this match to be a high scoring one as we back over 2.5 goals. Middlesbrough have gone north of the 2.5 mark in four of their last five games with a total of 17 goals seen; that gives them a game average of 3.4 per match. Reading meanwhile have seen three of their last five games go over the 2.5 cut off with a total of 13 goals; that is a game average of 2.6 goals. Three of the last five head to head meetings at Middlesbrough's home ground have ended north of the 2.5 marker too.

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Here are the key stats & form guide for Middlesbrough vs Reading

Head to Head

04/03/23

England Championship CHA

Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough

Reading

Reading

5

0

15/01/22

England Championship CHA

Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough

Reading

Reading

2

1

25/09/21

England Championship CHA

Reading

Reading

Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough

1

0

20/02/21

England Championship CHA

Reading

Reading

Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough

0

2

17/10/20

England Championship CHA

Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough

Reading

Reading

0

0

Last Five - Reading

12/04/25

England League 1 League 1

Northampton

Northampton

Reading

Reading

0

0

D

08/04/25

England League 1 League 1

Shrewsbury

Shrewsbury

Reading

Reading

1

3

W

05/04/25

England League 1 League 1

Wycombe

Wycombe

Reading

Reading

0

1

W

01/04/25

England League 1 League 1

Blackpool

Blackpool

Reading

Reading

3

0

L

29/03/25

England League 1 League 1

Peterborough

Peterborough

Reading

Reading

1

3

W

Last Five - Middlesbrough

12/04/25

England Championship CHA

Millwall

Millwall

Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough

1

0

L

08/04/25

England Championship CHA

Leeds

Leeds

Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough

1

0

L

04/04/25

England Championship CHA

Blackburn

Blackburn

Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough

0

2

W

29/03/25

England Championship CHA

Oxford Utd

Oxford Utd

Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough

1

2

W

15/03/25

England Championship CHA

Luton

Luton

Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough

0

0

D

So, that gives you some insight to how the different bookmakers see the action unfolding. How though do the Middlesbrough vs Reading odds translate into probability ahead of this game? Let's find out.

Middlesbrough odds: 1/2 (1.50) – 67%

Draw odds: 16/5 (4.20) – 24%

Reading odds: 16/3 (6.33) – 16%

As you can see from the above odds, Middlesbrough are massively fancied to win this game and, based on recent form, it's hard to disagree with the view the bookies are taking. In fact, even with odds as short as 1/2 (1.50) on offer, we still believe that's pretty good value considering how contrasted these two sides are. Not all markets are as cut and dry as the match result market though. The over/under 2.5 goals market sees both ‘over' and ‘under' priced odds on.

If, unlike us, you are unconvinced by the value on offer from these bookmakers odds then a host of other predictions are available through our football betting tips today page, which brings you fresh football predictions from across the world every single day.

Check out the predicted lineups ahead of Middlesbrough vs Reading

Middlesbrough

Defeat last time hurt Middlesbrough but they've got more than enough in their squad to bounce back here. Paddy McNair went off injured in that game with a head injury and remains a doubt for this encounter whilst Matt Clarke is still a couple of weeks away from fitness. That means we'll probably see Dael Fry come into the XI. Other than that, it could be an unchanged side.

Predicted lineup – Steffen, Giles, Lenihan, Fry, Smith, Hackney, Howson, McGree, Akpom, Forss, Archer

Reading

Reading all but killed any fear of getting sucked into the relegation dogfight last time out with a win over lowly Blackpool in a game which saw Tom Ince bag a brace and Andy Carroll score from the spot. With confidence high after that result, we're expecting more of the same here.

Predicted lineup – Lumley, Mbengue, Dann, Sarr, McIntyre, Casadei, Hendrick, Meite, Ince, Hoilett, Carroll

Middlesbrough vs Reading Line ups

Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough
8
Riley McGree
au
6
Dael Fry
gb
1
Zack Steffen
us
14
Tommy Smith
gb
3
Ryan Giles
gb
29
Chuba Akpom
gb
26
Darragh Lenihan
ie
10
Cameron Archer
gb
30
Hayden Hackney
gb
16
Jonny Howson
gb
11
Aaron Ramsey
gb
Substitutes
21
Marcus Forss
fi
7
Daniel Barlaser
gb
4
Alex Mowatt
gb
27
Marc Bola
gb
15
Anfernee Dijksteel
sr
23
Liam Roberts
gb
2
Isaiah Jones
gb

Reading

Reading
20
Cesare Casadei
it
5
Tom McIntyre
gb
7
Shane Long
ie
2
Andy Carroll
gb
21
Dean Bouzanis
au
8
Jeff Hendrick
ie
10
Tom Ince
gb
17
Andy Yiadom
gh
27
Amadou Mbengue
sn
11
Yakou Meite
ci
24
Naby Sarr
fr
Substitutes
19
Tyrese Fornah
sl
31
Coniah Boyce-Clarke
jm
3
Tom Holmes
gb
6
Scott Dann
gb
15
Femi Azeez
gb
9
Lucas Joao
ao
18
Nesta Guinness-Walker
gb

*Starting lineups are usually announced one hour prior to kick off.

Player to watch

It doesn't matter the week or the opposition, if Chuba Akpom is on the field of play then he is the man to watch – without question. He didn't score last time out but still boasts a recent goal return of six goals in his last six appearances. Reading's defence, which has been far from watertight on the road of late, will need to watch out.

Take a look at the latest standings

Championship
# Team P W D L +/- Points
1 Leeds

Leeds

42 25 13 4 53 88
2 Burnley

Burnley

42 24 16 2 44 88
3 Sheff Utd

Sheff Utd

42 26 7 9 24 83
4 Sunderland

Sunderland

42 21 13 8 19 76
5 Bristol City

Bristol City

42 16 16 10 9 64
6 Coventry

Coventry

42 18 9 15 5 63
7 West Brom

West Brom

42 14 18 10 12 60
8 Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough

42 17 9 16 10 60
9 Millwall

Millwall

42 16 12 14 0 60
10 Blackburn

Blackburn

42 16 8 18 0 56
11 Watford

Watford

42 16 8 18 -5 56
12 Swansea

Swansea

42 15 9 18 -6 54
13 Norwich

Norwich

42 13 14 15 5 53
14 Sheff Wed

Sheff Wed

42 14 11 17 -8 53
15 QPR

QPR

42 12 14 16 -6 50
16 Preston

Preston

42 10 19 13 -8 49
17 Oxford Utd

Oxford Utd

42 12 12 18 -17 48
18 Stoke

Stoke

42 11 14 17 -11 47
19 Portsmouth

Portsmouth

42 12 10 20 -16 46
20 Hull

Hull

42 11 12 19 -9 45
21 Derby

Derby

42 11 10 21 -10 43
22 Cardiff

Cardiff

42 9 15 18 -21 42
23 Luton

Luton

42 10 10 22 -26 40
24 Plymouth

Plymouth

42 9 13 20 -38 40

A quickfire FAQ on Middlesbrough – Reading

Middlesbrough vs Reading

  • Where is the match being played? – Riverside
  • Who do the bookmakers have as favourites? – Middlesbrough
  • What time does the match kick off?  3 PM GMT
  • What was Middlesbrough's last result? Boto suffered the ignominy of a 2-0 defeat in their last Championship outing. The defeat ended their five-match winning run and they have to start afresh to keep pace with the top two. Burnley might be out of their reach but Sheffield United with their precarious form are not.
  • What was Reading's last result? The Royals registered their second win in three matches in their last league outing. They entertained Blackpool at the Medjeski Stadium and ran riot to their contentment. Tom Ince was their hero on the night, scoring a well-time brace to compliment Andy CArroll's effort. For the visitors, Sonny Carey scored in the fourth minute of added time.