Middlesbrough take on the visitors Aston Villa in the round 1/32-finals of English FA Cup. The match will be played on Saturday, January 6th at Riverside Stadium (Middlesbrough).
Middlesbrough are not performing as well in the Championship currently, but they are successful in knockout games. The Riversiders may not be considered a giant, but they have had glorious moments, and not too long ago, there was an attempt to make a mark in the Premier League. It seemed that Michael Carrick, who took over during the last season, would lead the crisis-hit team to the playoffs, albeit unsuccessfully (losing to Coventry with the only goal in a couple of matches). Many believed that Michael would continue in the same spirit, but so far, his team, instead of leading in the Championship, is at risk of not finishing even in the top 6. After losing to Coventry, they slid down to the middle of the table. However, in the League Cup, they managed to eliminate 5 opponents, including Huddersfield, Bolton, Bradford, Exeter, and, in the quarterfinals, Port Vale. This was enough to reach the semi-finals, and they will soon face Chelsea in the semifinal. However, is it worth dissipating efforts on another tournament?
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Aston Villa finally reminded everyone of their glorious history and confirmed their traditionally high ambitions. And, of course, it's obvious that the key to the breakthrough was the appointment of Unai Emery. The Spaniard surprised everyone by choosing to move to Birmingham for a return to English football. In the spring, Villa finished last season in 7th place in the Premier League. This was enough to enter the Conference League, where, starting from the summer qualifiers, they reached the tournament playoffs ahead of schedule. During this ascent, the team defeated Manchester City and Arsenal along the way. It seemed as if they were afraid of the prospect of leading the table at Christmas. First, the favorite did not win against the newcomer-outsider, Sheffield United, and then, after quickly scoring twice, they helplessly lost 2-3 to Manchester United. However, other contenders were also dropping points in the winter madness, so, by finally defeating Burnley 3-2, the Spanish coach's team climbed to the second position.
In 2017-2019, the clubs played 5 times in the Championship and playoff matches for the right to enter the Premier League. During this time, there was only 1 draw, with the rest of the matches ending in victories for Villa. For both clubs, this match and the tournament, in general, are not very important. Let's bet that the total under 3.0 goals will be scored.
Prediction for the match: Under 3.0 scored goals.
