Middlesbrough vs Cardiff City Prediction and Betting Tips | January 4th 2025

The EFL Championship returns with a fresh set of fixtures as Middlesbrough and Cardiff City square off at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday. Having lost the last four meetings between the teams, the Bluebirds will head into the weekend looking to get one over the hosts and secure their first win of the year.

English forward Alexander Gilbert grabbed the headlines for Middlesbrough on New Year’s Day as he netted a 93rd-minute winner to hand them a 1-0 victory over Hull City at the MKM Stadium.

Michael Carrick’s men have now gone unbeaten in five back-to-back games, claiming two wins and three draws since a 3-1 loss against Leeds United on December 10.

Elsewhere, Cardiff City were denied a New Year’s Day victory as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Coventry City at the Cardiff City Stadium last time out. This followed a 2-1 victory over Watford at Vicarage Road in their final outing of 2024, a result which saw their nine-game winless run come to an end.

Cardiff City have endured an underwhelming first half of the season as they sit 23rd in the league table, level on 22 points with 22nd-placed Hull City and just three points above rock-bottom Plymouth Argyle.

Middlesbrough vs Cardiff City Head-To-Head and Key Numbers

• With 34 wins from the last 74 meetings between the sides, Cardiff City boast a superior record in the history of this fixture.
• Middlesbrough have picked up 27 wins in that time, while the spoils have been shared on 13 occasions.
• Carrick's men are on a four-game winning streak against Cardiff City, scoring 11 goals and conceding two since a 3-2 victory in September 2022.
• The Bluebirds have won just one of their 12 Championship away matches while losing five and claiming six draws so far.

Middlesbrough vs Cardiff City Prediction

Middlesbrough and Cardiff City have endured a contrasting first half of the season, with the Bluebirds languishing at the bottom end of the table. Carrick’s men head into the weekend as the more in-form side and we are backing them to come away with all three points.

Prediction: Middlesbrough 3-1 Cardiff City

Middlesbrough vs Cardiff City Betting Tips

Tip 1: Result - Middlesbrough to win

Tip 2: First to score - Middlesbrough (The hosts have opened the scoring in six of their last seven games versus Cardiff)

Tip 3: Over 4.5 cards - No (There have also been fewer than five bookings in the last nine meetings between the two teams)

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