Match Preview – Middlesbrough v Brighton
Middlesbrough – the team
Middlesbrough spent seven seasons in the Championship before winning promotion back to the Premier League in 2016 in circumstances I am sure you need no reminder of. It was a brief stay back in the top flight as they managed to score a paltry 27 goals which is a total even we should be able to beat having amassed 17 so far with 14 games to go. That negativity cost Aitor Karanka his job. His permanent replacement was Garry Monk who was appointed in the summer but has already been and gone with Tony Pulis now in charge at the Riverside.
Middlesbrough – the place
There is only one thing you need to know about Middlesbrough and that is that it gave the world the parmo, the greatest food substance currently in existence. Seemingly only available in the North East, it is a huge slab of pork covered in breadcrumbs and smothered in cheese and bechamel sauce. Plenty of Albion fans have bemoaned this FA Cup draw including most of those complaining about the “closed shop” for away tickets this season and while a day at the Riverside may be less appealing than a vegan BBQ, it’s worth making the journey for a parmo alone.
Middlesbrough – the people
The world famous explorer Captain James Cook heralds from the town which isn’t surprising as if we lived in Middlesbrough, we’d be quick to jump on a bloody great boat and sail off to Australia. Magician Paul Daniels, World Billiards Champion Dave Causier and Preeti Desai who was Miss Great Britain 2006 have also put Middlesbrough on the map.
A good WeAreBrighton.com of Middlesbrough away
The life changing moment when we we discovered the aforementioned parmo was a visit in December 2011. The football itself was absolutely shit as it always was when watching the Albion away under Gus Poyet at that point in time, a 1-0 defeat in which we managed a grand total of zero shots on target. The train food home was an absolute triumph which more than made the journey worthwhile.
A bad WeAreBrighton.com memory of Middlesbrough away
Mike Dean. Say no more.
Played for both?
Given how much he has got right since being appointed Albion boss, its mad to think how poor both the football and the signings were in Chris Hughton’s first six months in charge. Leon Best was obviously the cherry on top of the wank players cake, but two loan signings from Middlesbrough weren’t far behind as both Emmanuel Ledesma and Mustapha Carayol arrived for completely forgettable spells from Boro.
Dangermen
Pulis’ first choice 11 includes the likes of Britt Assombalonga and Ben Gibson, the talented defender who was on the verge of the England squad last season who Boro have somehow kept hold of despite their relegation (take note Albion re Lewis Dunk). It will likely however be their stiffs who line up so your guess is as good as ours as to who will be involved.
Betting
Presuming that Hughton actually decides to start him, then Sam Baldock to score anytime at 21/5 looks a decent bet given how lively he looked when coming on against Crystal Palace in the last round. Other than that, betting on this one is particularly hard given nobody can reasonably predict what each starting line up will look like. One bet across the board that normally has a pretty good return in knockout competitions is both teams to score when a side from a lower division host one from a higher division. That is available at a best priced 5/4.
Predicition
Honestly, we’ve got absolutely no idea what is going to happen. Could be 0-0, could be 6-4, could be 0-9 (those last two are actual results from Middlesbrough v Brighton games in the 1958-59 season). As long as we get a parmo, we’ll be happy.
