Leicester vs Middlesbrough Prediction

Right then, let's have a proper look at this Tuesday night tussle down at the King Power. On paper, you'd think this is a mismatch - third-place Middlesbrough rolling up to 14th-placed Leicester who've been about as consistent as a chocolate teapot lately.

Leicester are in a right old pickle, ain't they? Three straight losses on the spin - 0-2 at home to Blackburn, 1-0 defeat at Millwall, and 2-1 loss at Hull. They're drawing more games than my nan at bingo (five draws in their last ten), but they just can't seem to get over the line. At home, they've managed just one win in five, scoring a measly 0.8 goals per game on their own patch. That's not gonna cut the mustard, is it?

Middlesbrough, on the other hand, have been ticking along nicely until their recent 3-0 wobble at Watford. Before that, they'd been solid - grinding out results like a proper promotion-chasing side should. They're averaging 1.6 points per game compared to Leicester's 1.1, and that gap in the table tells its own story, doesn't it? Eight points clear with a game in hand - proper stuff.

Now, here's where it gets interesting. Boro's away form is about as convincing as a politician's promise - just one win in five travels, leaking 1.4 goals per game on the road. But Leicester's home form ain't much better, is it? They've only won 20% of their home games this season.

Both sides struggle to find the back of the net - we're talking one goal per game territory for both teams. It's like watching two blokes trying to start a fire with wet matches. The head-to-head record slightly favours Leicester, but that last meeting ended 2-1 to Boro, and recent form counts for more than ancient history in my book.

The bookies have got Leicester as slight favourites at 2.09, but looking at these two sides' recent performances, that seems a bit generous to me. Leicester are in a proper slump, while Boro, despite their away struggles, are still the better football team this season.

Sometimes you've got to follow the form guide, and right now, Middlesbrough are flying high while Leicester are sinking faster than the Titanic. The value's with the visitors here, even if they're not exactly world-beaters on their travels.

Key Points:

• Leicester in terrible form with three straight losses

• Middlesbrough sitting pretty in 3rd, 8 points ahead of Leicester

• Both teams struggle to score (1.10 vs 1.00 goals per game)

• Boro's away form poor but Leicester's home form not much better

• Head-to-head slightly favours Leicester but Boro won last meeting

The Verdict: I'm backing Middlesbrough to get the job done here. Leicester's form is shocking, and Boro know how to grind out results even when they're not at their best. The odds of 3.32 for the away win look tasty to me - there's value to be had backing the promotion contenders against a side that can't buy a win at the moment.