Charlton vs Middlesbrough Betting Tips

As far as betting heats go, this FA Cup quarter-final tie between Charlton and Middlesbrough is, along with the West Ham v Man City match, one of the more intriguing clashes, as the sides are so closely matched. You have to go back to 1965 for the last time these teams crossed swords in an FA Cup fixture; they drew at The Valley before Boro squeezed through 2-1 at their then ground, Ayresome Park, in the replay. In their two meetings in the Premiership during the current campaign, the Addicks have prevailed on both occasions, beating Steve McClaren's men 3-0 in their own back yard last August, and emerged victorious in a game in which the fireworks were set off in the latter stages of the match at The Valley earlier this month. That was an exciting encounter, three goals coming in the space of thirteen minutes, Darren Bent netting a brace, one goal either side of a Mark Viduka equaliser. If this match is as enthralling, the paying public shant be disappointed. Following their awful start to the season, Boro have started to get their act together. They are still in the UEFA Cup courtesy of a crucial away goal, in a two-legged tie that ended 2-2, and their Premiership form has generally been much more respectable. However, Alan Curbishley's charges are in pretty good form, and haven't tasted defeat in their last seven home matches in all competitions. They initially suffered when midfield play-maker Danny Murphy departed for Spurs, but have subsequently rediscovered their edge and, fresh from his England call-up, Darren Bent has been firing on all cylinders. Ultimately, both sides have so much to lose and, as such, I can envisage this tie being very tight in the first half, before caution is thrown to the wind in the second half. Charlton look better defensively to me, which I reckon will prove decisive. With this in mind, a foray into the double result market is advised and the draw half-time/Charlton full-time option makes plenty of appeal at 9/2 with Bluesq That bookmaker is also offering 5/1 about Darren Bent in the last goalscorer market, which looks well worth a tickle. Bent has been the last scorer in ten games this season in all competitions.