Middlesbrough Championship Odds: Boro could be promotion prospect

Middlesbrough will be looking to get themselves back into promotion contention after finishing eighth last season and narrowly missing out on the play-offs. This campaign marks Michael Carrick’s second full season in charge of Boro, and the club will have aspirations of returning to England’s top flight.

Read on for my preview of the upcoming season, including Middlesbrough’s championship odds, relegation odds and top-half finish price.

Last Season: 8th

Top Scorer: Emmanuel Latte Lath (16)

Transfers In: Aidan Morris – Columbus Crew (£3.14m), Delano Burgzorg – 1. FSV Mainz 05 (£2.3m), Luke Ayling – Leeds United (free), Sam Silvera – Portsmouth (loan)

Transfers Out: Paddy McNair – San Diego FC (free), Liam Roberts – Millwall (free), Jamie Jones – Salford City (free), Hayden Coulson – Blackpool (undisclosed), Sam Silvera – Millwall (loan)

First Game: Swansea City (H)

Prediction: 3rd

Championship Odds

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An eighth-placed finish for Boro last season may have looked like a disappointing campaign to the outsider, but it’s important to provide some context.

Michael Carrick had to deal with the dilemma of replacing the big numbers provided by Ryan Giles, Cameron Archer and Chuba Akpom in 2022/23. Giles’ and Archer’s respective loan spells came to an end, while Akpom departed to Dutch giants Ajax after bagging 28 goals in 40 Championship appearances. Injuries, suspensions and international call-ups also caused disruption meaning that Carrick could never pick a settled XI.

Football Odds

However, the Teessiders still managed to finish just four points outside the top six, as well as making the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup for the first time since 2004, where they lost to Chelsea. A new season springs fresh optimism, especially with some of the signings Boro have made.

A USA international in Aidan Morris has walked through the doors at the Riverside from Columbus Crew, after recording six assists last season and scoring four goals in 30 appearances from midfield in the 2023-24 season.

The experienced Luke Ayling joins on a permanent transfer after an impressive loan spell last term, while striker Delano Burgzorg arrives from Bundesliga outfit Mainz 05, although he spent last season on loan at Huddersfield Town, scoring seven goals in 33 games.

Burgzorg can shoulder some of the offensive burden, but the primary goalscoring hopes will once again fall on the shoulders of Emmanuel Latte Lath, who didn’t quite replicate the numbers of Akpom the season prior, but managed to net 11 in his final 12 appearances of the 2023/24 campaign.

The departure of Paddy McNair could be a significant one as the former Manchester United centre-back has taken his talents to the MLS after 198 appearances at the Riverside. Further responsibility will fall on the young shoulders of 18-year-old Rav van den Berg, who made 34 appearances last season and showcased his ability as a progressive defender.

Boro are behind Burnley and Leeds in the outright betting, and winning automatic promotion may be a stretch too far for Carrick’s men, but heading into the 2024/25 season, I’m expecting Middlesbrough to firmly be in the play-off hunt come April next year.

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