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Sat 17 Oct · 12:30
Middlesbrough vs Cardiff prediction
- Round
- Regular Season - 11
- Venue
- Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough
- Referee
- Tom Nield
Published by the BetGenius Editorial Desk · Editorial policy
Form
Recent form
Middlesbrough
68Strong
Last 5 matches · 2W-3D-0L · +2 goal difference
Cardiff
56Average
Last 5 matches · 2W-1D-2L · +4 goal difference
Our call
Our verdict
Combo Bet
Middlesbrough Over 1.5 Goals + Middlesbrough or Draw
BetGenius backs Middlesbrough Over 1.5 Goals + Middlesbrough or Draw (Combo Bet) at 73% confidence — a solid call.
73%
Confidence
Solid
Preview
Match preview
Middlesbrough welcome Cardiff to the Riverside Stadium sitting second in the Championship with 21 points from 10 matches. The hosts have established formidable form on home turf, taking four wins and one draw from their opening five home fixtures while scoring 12 goals in that span. Their attack has been reliable across the campaign, finding the net in all 10 league fixtures behind eight goals from W. Lankshear.
Cardiff travel north in 19th position with 10 points and endure significant struggles on the road, where they have failed to register a victory, recording one draw and four defeats from five matches. While they enjoyed a 5-1 home win over Watford in their last outing, their away form shows just four goals scored and nine conceded, alongside an absence of any clean sheets across all 10 league matches this season.
Squad selections also sway towards the hosts, with Cardiff missing key midfielder K. Bielik through suspension and C. Chambers and R. Colwill through injury, while Middlesbrough manage without A. Jones. Coupled with a head-to-head record where Middlesbrough have won six of the last 10 meetings and remained unbeaten in their last five clashes against Cardiff, the hosts hold a substantial situational advantage.
Availability
Team news
Middlesbrough
- A. JonesCalf Injury
- R. PukstasInjury
- D. StrelecInjury
Cardiff
- C. ChambersKnee Injury
- R. ColwillAnkle Injury
- D. LawlorHamstring Injury
- G. OshoRed Card
- Y. SalechInactive
Numbers
Statistical comparison
Middlesbrough at homeCardiff away
6
Played
6
4-2-0
W-D-L
0-2-4
2.3
Scored /game
1
1.5
Conceded /game
1.8
17%
Clean sheets
0%
0%
Failed to score
33%
80%
BTTS (last 5)
80%
80%
Over 2.5 (last 5)
80%
Combined scoring rate: 3.3 goals per game (Middlesbrough at home plus Cardiff away).
Players
Key players this season
Middlesbrough
- W. Lankshear9G
- A. Cozier-Duberry3A
Cardiff
- J. Moylan6G · 3A
- O. Tanner3A
League scoring and assist totals for this season — not a predicted lineup. Availability is only shown where team news names the same player.
Table
Table context
| # | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SwanseaPromotion - Premier League | 11 | +8 | 23 |
| 2 | West HamPromotion - Premier League | 11 | +18 | 22 |
| 3 | MiddlesbroughPromotion - Championship (Play Offs: Semi-finals) | 11 | +6 | 22 |
| 4 | BirminghamPromotion - Championship (Play Offs: Semi-finals) | 11 | +9 | 20 |
| 5 | West BromPromotion - Championship (Play Offs: Quarter-finals) | 11 | +3 | 20 |
| 6 | Stoke CityPromotion - Championship (Play Offs: Quarter-finals) | 11 | +2 | 19 |
| 16 | Bristol City | 11 | -3 | 14 |
| 17 | Charlton | 11 | -5 | 14 |
| 18 | Lincoln | 11 | -10 | 12 |
| 19 | Cardiff | 11 | +1 | 11 |
| 20 | Watford | 11 | -9 | 11 |
| 21 | Norwich | 11 | -4 | 9 |
| 22 | BurnleyRelegation - League One | 11 | -5 | 8 |
History
Head-to-head
- 6
- Middlesbrough
- 3
- Draws
- 1
- Cardiff
Middlesbrough have won 6 of the last 10 meetings, averaging 3.0 goals a game, both teams scored in 60% of them.
- 2026-10-17Middlesbrough2-2Cardiff
- 2025-01-04Middlesbrough1-1Cardiff
- 2024-08-31Cardiff0-2Middlesbrough
- 2024-04-27Cardiff1-4Middlesbrough
- 2023-10-03Middlesbrough2-0Cardiff
BetGenius
Our record in Championship
63%137 won from 216 settled predictions
Settled results only — every published pick is recorded win or lose. Full track record →
Based on at least 20 settled predictions.Predictions
4 published markets
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Combo BetWON
Combo Bet
Middlesbrough Over 1.5 Goals + Middlesbrough or Draw
73%
Both must land · no better than
Middlesbrough Over 1.5 Goals — 73% confidence
Middlesbrough possess one of the division's sharpest attacks, netting 20 goals across 10 matches and scoring at least once in every game. At the Riverside Stadium, they have scored 12 times in five matches, led by W. Lankshear with eight goals. Cardiff's defensive record offers significant encouragement for the hosts, as the visitors have kept zero clean sheets in 10 league games and concede an average of 1.8 goals per away game.
Middlesbrough or Draw — 78% confidence
Middlesbrough have assembled a reliable record at home with four victories and one draw from five league fixtures, averaging 2.4 goals scored per home game. In contrast, Cardiff have struggled to pick up points on their travels, recording four defeats and one draw from five away outings while scoring only four times. Given that Cardiff have failed to keep a clean sheet in all 10 league fixtures this season and are missing K. Bielik through suspension, Middlesbrough are well positioned to avoid defeat.
These two calls are about different parts of the match (team total goals and double chance), so neither one determines the other. The figure shown is the lower of the two — a combo can never be more likely than its weaker leg.
Combo BetWON
Double Chance
Middlesbrough or Draw
78%
Confidence
Middlesbrough have assembled a reliable record at home with four victories and one draw from five league fixtures, averaging 2.4 goals scored per home game. In contrast, Cardiff have struggled to pick up points on their travels, recording four defeats and one draw from five away outings while scoring only four times. Given that Cardiff have failed to keep a clean sheet in all 10 league fixtures this season and are missing K. Bielik through suspension, Middlesbrough are well positioned to avoid defeat.
Combo BetWON
Team Total Goals
Middlesbrough Over 1.5 Goals
73%
Confidence
Middlesbrough possess one of the division's sharpest attacks, netting 20 goals across 10 matches and scoring at least once in every game. At the Riverside Stadium, they have scored 12 times in five matches, led by W. Lankshear with eight goals. Cardiff's defensive record offers significant encouragement for the hosts, as the visitors have kept zero clean sheets in 10 league games and concede an average of 1.8 goals per away game.
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Published October 16, 2026. Form, team news and table context refresh automatically.