Boro vs Basel Betting Tips

Middlesbrough have it all to do if they are to overturn the two goal deficit from the first leg when they entertain Swiss side Basel in their UEFA Cup quarter final second leg encounter at the Riverside on Thursday evening. However, I strongly believe that they are up to the task and can progress to the semis of this competition where one of the Bucharest-based sides, Rapid or Steaua, will be lying in wait. In a fraught final five minutes of the first half in Switzerland, Boro conceded two goals that, had their minds been fully on the job, wouldn't have been given away. Although Gaizka Mendieta will be absent after suffering a freak injury during training on Monday when breaking a bone in his foot, Boro will be a tighter, more organised outfit in defence as skipper Gareth Southgate returns to the fray having missed the first leg and Saturday's 1-0 win at Man City with an ankle injury. Steve McLaren's charges are capable of both the sublime and the ridiculous with equal aplomb and they started the season in a terrible fashion. But while they are still lacking that all-important consistency, recent results have been much more like the Boro we expect to see. Indeed, excellent recent results in the Premiership include a thrilling 4-3 win over Bolton, in addition to a staggering 3-0 hammering of runaway league leaders Chelsea, results which underline the fact that Boro are strong at the Riverside and are more than capable of getting the three goals they need against Basel on Thursday. Interestingly, Paddy Power offer odds of 16/1 that the home side will get the 3-0 verdict they need, which looks generous considering that William Hill have priced that scoreline up at a far more conservative 9-1 - the average odds of this outcome are 12/1. I know it may sound fanciful, but at 40/1 with Stan James I'm also inclined to have a wee saver on the home side to win 4-0. This is logical as, if Boro do come out all guns blazing and get the trio of goals required, their confidence will be sky high and who'd say they wouldn't kill the game off by adding a fourth? Basel will be keen to secure an away goal so don't expect them to sit back and try to absorb the pressure. But Boro do possess the far superior attacking prowess, with Hasselbaink, Viduka and Yakubu all being top-class marksmen. Scorer of three goals in this tournament so far this season, the Dutchman looks a spot of value at 5/1 with totesport to strike first.