Middlesbrough v Brighton and Hove Albion Betting Preview: Latest odds, team news, tips and predictions

Championship side Middlesbrough host Brighton and Hove Albion in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday afternoon.

Boro pipped Brighton to promotion to the Premier League in 2015/16 but the two clubs have since swapped divisions and have evenly-matched squads despite the gap.

Match odds

The hosts beat local rivals Sunderland 2-0 in the previous round and are 6/5 (2.20) with Betfair for a fourth win under Tony Pulis’ tutelage.

Brighton are expected to make changes and can be found at the bulky price of 27/10 (3.70).

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This fixture was played on the final day of the 2014/15 and 2015/16 Championship campaigns, with both games ending in draws - a repeat is 21/10 (3.10).

Team News

Middlesbrough have no fresh injury concerns and centre-back Daniel Ayala, who has scored three of Boro’s eight goals under Pulis, is 35/1 (36.0) to strike first.

Steve Sidwell and new signing Jurgen Locadia are the only absentees for Brighton; Tomer Hemed could start and is 11/4 (3.75) to bag anytime.

Back goals

Over the last 10 seasons, FA Cup games involving Tony Pulis see on average three goals, a 23 per cent increase on league games.

Equally, Brighton are normally defensively oriented side but their previous FA Cup ties under Chris Hughton average 2.8 goals per game.

Therefore, both managers may give their players more tactical freedom in this competition and over 2.5 goals is 13/8 (2.63).

Tips and predictions

The visitors saw off Premier League rivals Crystal Palace to get here and may be slightly undervalued at 27/10 (3.70).

Considering the likelihood of goals here, the 7/1 (8.0) on offer for a Brighton win with over 2.5 goals looks a solid bet.

Brighton win and Over 2.5 goals at 7/1 (8.0) for a 1pt stake with Betfair