Championship

[bettingtime]

The race for automatic promotion in the Championship couldn't be more finely poised. With two games to go, Burnley, Middlesbrough and Brighton are all level on 87 points but only two of them can go straight up.

Boro will be desperate to avoid the situation from last year when they faded late on and had to settle for the play-offs. A 6 game winning streak suggested there would be no repeat this time around but they have only managed draws in their two subsequent matches to suggest they might just be getting the jitters. They conceded a last gasp equaliser in the show-down with Burnley and more worryingly failed to see off Ipswich at home last weekend. With an enormous game against Brighton on the final day still to come, Middlesbrough will want to go into that in the best possible shape but this won't be easy.

Birmingham have had a good season but just 1 win from 10 games has seen them fade out of play-off contention. They've not stopped been competitive though and their last 3 games have brought draws at home to Preston and away at Huddersfield as well as a narrow 2-1 defeat against leaders Burnley, in a game they had the better of. They are certainly capable of making life awkward for the Teessiders and have scored at least once in all of their last 13 home games.

Middlesbrough of course are favourites but at 1/2 they look very short indeed. They've only won 2 of their last 6 away games and 1 of them was virtue of a last minute goal at rock bottom Bolton. There are bound to be a few nerves in the visiting camp and with 7 defeats on the road this season, a trip to Birmingham is anything but a formality so there looks to be real value in backing Double Chance - Birmingham or Draw at 8/5.

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