Manchester City will be paying a visit to the Riverside Stadium this Sunday, April 30th where they’ll be taking on relegation-zone Middlesbrough in a huge English Premier League match for both teams. Man City is coming off of a 0-0 draw at home in the Manchester derby against Manchester United on Thursday while Middlesbrough pulled off a huge 1-0 win at home over last-place Sunderland on Wednesday.
Middlesbrough vs Manchester City – Pinnacle 365 Soccer Betting Line:
- Pinnacle currently lists Manchester City as the favorites to win the game at -342 with Middlesbrough +1039 and a draw at +493
Middlesbrough vs Manchester City – Head to Head:
- These two clubs last met in the FA Cup on March 11th in Middlesbrough with Man City winning 2-0. They also met in league action in Manchester in November and played to a 1-1 draw. They met in January of 2015 in an FA Cup game with Middlesbrough winning 2-1 in Manchester. Their previous meeting was five years earlier in another FA Cup clash with Man City winning 1-0 away. City has six wins, four losses and two draws in the last 12 meetings. Middlesbrough has 16 wins in the last 29 games with six draws and just seven losses. Overall, these two sides have met 128 times in the past with Man City winning 51, losing 49 and drawing the other 28.
Middlesbrough – A Closer Look:
Middlesbrough is running out of time this season if they hope to climb out of the relegation zone and compete for another year in the top tier of English soccer. They enter the game in 19th place in the 20-team league with just 31 points out of a possible 102 after 34 games. They have five wins, 12 draws and 17 losses with a league-low 24 goals scored and 43 allowed. They sit six points behind 17th-place Hull City and the league’s safety zone.
Middlesbrough has just one win in their past 10 league games along with three draws and six defeats while scoring just five times and conceding 16. At home this season, the team has a record of four wins, five draws and eight losses with 14 goals for and 19 against. On the injury front, the club is relatively healthy as midfielder Grant Leadbitter is listed as questionable and goalkeeper Víctor Valdes is the only player sure to miss the game with as he’s out with a rib injury.
Manchester City – A Closer Look:
Manchester City enters the weekend still in the all-important fourth place in the Premier League as it gives them a spot in next season’s European Champions League. City has 65 and sits 13 points back of league-leading Chelsea. The team has 19 wins along with eight draws and six losses with 63 goals scored and 35 allowed. City is just one point behind third-place Liverpool with a game in hand and they remain a point in front of fifth-place Man United. They’re also five point in front of sixth-place Arsenal with the Gunners having a game in hand.
City has five wins, four draws and just one defeat in their last 10 league games with 16 goals scored and seven allowed. As far as injuries go, manager Pep Guardiola has a few problems as midfielder David Silva and defenders John Stones and Bacary Sagna are questionable. Midfielder Ilkay Gundogan is expected to miss the remainder of the campaign, but the good news for City fans is that striker Gabriel Jesus returned to the team last week and played in the Manchester derby.
Middlesbrough vs Manchester City – Takeaway:
- Both teams need these three points for different reasons with Middlesbrough being desperate at this stage. A draw does neither of the clubs much good, but Middlesbrough might be happy with one.