Middlesbrough v Sunderland Tip

Although Sunderland failed to see off their neighbours on their own patch 10 days ago, the smart money is still on Martin O’Neill’s side to finish the job at the Riverside Stadium on Wednesday. The most improved side in the Premier League are evens (Bet365) to beat a Championship side who are distinctly out of sorts.

The Black Cats have won a superb eight of 12 games under the new boss and only lost away trips to Tottenham and Chelsea - and those were unfortunate 1-0 defeats. The last three outings in the top flight have yielded the maximum nine points and seen the Mackems rise to eighth in the table.

Crucially, those successes have come without conceding a single goal. With the defence on top form, we can dare to be more adventurous with our bet and take the 21/10 (Bet365) on Sunderland being the only team to score this time. And based on the first game with Boro, Martin O’Neill is taking this competition seriously and will name as strong a side as possible.

Tony Mowbray’s team are clinging on to a play-off spot in the Championship. However, if the run of one win (1-0 at home to Shrewsbury) in eight in all competitions continues that won’t last much longer. Boro have failed to score in either of their last two home games so the signs are they could easily draw a blank again against superior opposition.