Middlesbrough vs Southampton- Premier League preview and odds

Published on: 13/05/2017

Middlesbrough vs Southampton- Premier League preview and odds

May 13, 2017 15:00pm - Riverside Stadium

Premier League

Already-relegated Middlesbrough will be playing for pride when they welcome 10th-ranked Southampton to the Riverside Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Visitors themselves can achieve an eighth-place finish at best but their recent form has not been great.

Dead rubber match between two out-of-form teams

Middlesbrough`s 3-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge last week rubber-stamped their relegation back to the Championship. The northeast club have won just one of their last 19 matches, their only win coming against fellow relegated side Sunderland. All this despite a change of manager in March which saw Steve Agnew replace last seasons promotion hero Aitor Karanka.

At the Riverside, Boro have won two and drawn five of their last 10 games and were unlucky not to have beaten Manchester City in their last home fixture.

Meanwhile, Southampton`s season appears to have fizzled out thanks to a winless run of five games featuring two draws ad three defeats. But with three games left to play, the Saints can still finish as high as eighth in the table.

The biggest problem for Claude Puel`s men at the moment is the lack of goals with just two scored in their last five games. In their defence, they did face four of the current top five during that spell, while Manolo Gabbiadini has struggled for form since returning from injury.

Team news

Middlesbrough:

Injured - Gaston Ramirez (pelvic).

Doubtful - Daniel Ayala (ankle sprain), Victor Valdes (rib).

Southampton:

Injured - Virgil van Dijk (ankle), Charlie Austin (dislocated shoulder), Alex McCarthy (hamstring strain).

Doubtful - Matt Targett (hamstring strain).

Recent form (League)

Middlesbrough: LDWLL

Southampton: LDDLL

Betting odds and tips

While both side may lack motivation in this match, Boro will be keen to give their home fans something to cheer about as they bow out of the top flight.

Southampton have only lost two of their last six away matches and they have faced some tricky opponents in recent weeks. However, in their last two away matches against bottom six sides, they put four goals past both Sunderland and Watford.

You can back the Saints to win at 21/20 with Bet365.

By Neil Morris

Published on: 13/05/2017

Any odds displayed within this preview were correct at the time of publishing (13/05/2017 05:26:39) but are subject to change.