Charlton vs Middlesbrough Prediction

Right then, let's have a proper look at this Tuesday night tussle between Charlton and Middlesbrough. On paper, this looks like a classic tale of two teams heading in opposite directions.

Middlesbrough are sitting pretty in 2nd place with 36 points, and you can see why when you look at their recent form. They've been banging in the goals for fun - 16 in their last 10 games - and picked up some decent results along the way. That 4-1 hammering of Hull City away from home shows they mean business, and even when they lost to table-toppers Coventry, they still managed to find the net twice. They're averaging 1.6 goals per game and have only failed to score once in their last 10 matches.

Charlton, on the other hand, are having a bit of a rollercoaster season down in 17th. They've had some proper stinkers lately - that 5-1 home drubbing by Southampton was particularly painful, wasn't it? They've only managed 10 goals in 10 games and are leaking 1.5 goals per match at the back. To be fair, they did have a brilliant 3-0 win at Ipswich, but consistency has been their biggest problem.

When these two have met in the past, it's been Middlesbrough who've come out on top most of the time - 6 wins from 9 meetings tells its own story. Charlton have only beaten them once, and that was way back when.

Looking at the stats, Middlesbrough dominate possession (58.4% vs Charlton's 41.8%) and get more shots on target. They're just a better football team at the moment, plain and simple.

But here's the thing - Charlton are at home, and they have shown they can score. Both teams have been finding the net regularly in their recent games, with Middlesbrough seeing BTTS in 80% of their last 10 matches. Given Charlton's defensive woes and Boro's attacking form, I reckon we're in for goals from both sides here.

Key Points:

• Middlesbrough 2nd in table vs Charlton 17th - clear quality gap

• Boro scoring freely: 16 goals in last 10 games (1.6 per game)

• Charlton defensively fragile: conceded 5 at home to Southampton

• Head-to-head heavily favors Middlesbrough (6 wins from 9 meetings)

• Both teams scoring trends: Boro 80% BTTS, Charlton 50% BTTS in recent games

The away win at 2.45 might tempt some, but I'm keeping it simple here. Both teams to score looks the value play - Middlesbrough's attack is in top form while Charlton's defence has been about as solid as a chocolate teapot. At 1.91, it's a price that makes sense given what we've seen from both sides lately.