James Cantrill previews Monday's Sky Bet Championship fixture as third host fourth and it could be a thriller.
Football betting tips: Championship
2.5pts Over 2.5 goals at 21/20 (William Hill)
Luton have transitioned seamlessly away from Nathan Jones.
Rob Edwards has overseen 22 league games, only losing thrice and accumulating 45 points, a tally only two sides in the division can best, one of which are Middlesbrough.
The Hatters are in pole position to finish in third, and victory at Kenilworth Road on Monday will keep the race for the second automatic spot mathematically open, moving them to within four points of Sheffield United.
Kick-off time: 20:00 BST, Monday
TV Channel: Sky Sports Main Event
Luton 11/8 | Draw 23/10 | Middlesbrough 2/1
No doubt this will be a great fixture between third and fourth in the Championship, however, the only impact it will realistically have is on which side finishes in which position.
I think this dynamic lends itself to goals, something that has not been lacking for Boro under Michael Carrick.
He has overseen 27 matches, over which time 94 goals have been scored, an average of 3.49 per game.
Both teams to score has clicked in 69% of those games and OVER 2.5 GOALS have been scored on 20 occasions, at odds against the latter is the selection here.
Luton should get chances, Boro have not kept a clean sheet in any of their last five games and have conceded an average of over a goal per game under Carrick.
The Hatters have only failed to score in two of their league games since Edwards took charge back in November, all things point to a goal laden affair at the Kenny on Monday.
Luton v Middlesbrough best bets and score prediction
- 2.5pts Over 2.5 goals at 21/20 (William Hill)
Score prediction: Luton 2-3 Middlesbrough (Sky Bet odds: 28/1)
Odds correct at 1605 GMT (21/04/23)
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