Port Vale have won three of their last 11
matches
Vale have kept just one clean sheet in
their last ten matches on their own patch
Middlesbrough have scored at least twice in
12 of their 15 away games this term
Vale look in for a difficult night
League One Port Vale have not beaten a team
from the top two divisions on their way to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals and
it seems likely that their memorable run will be ended by Middlesbrough on
Tuesday.
Vale are 15th in the third tier and while
they will have been boosted by Ethan Chislett’s hat-trick giving them a 3-2 win
over Wigan on Saturday, that ended a run of five home matches without a victory.
They surrendered a two-goal lead when
beaten by Stevenage on penalties in their FA Cup replay, so they are struggling
to finish the job and it could be that Middlesbrough’s extra class proves too
much for the Tunstall outfit.
Boro forwards flourish on the road
Much was expected of Boro after they
reached the playoffs last season, but they did not hit the ground running and
will be disappointed to find themselves in tenth spot.
The congested nature of the Championship
means they could easily get into top-six contention during the second half of
the campaign.
One thing that is noticeable with Michael
Carrick’s side is that they have been full of goals on the road, scoring 12
times on the last five occasions they have been on their travels.
They could keep that run going with a 2-1
win here, having already won at Huddersfield, Bolton, Bradford and Exeter in
this competition this season.
Tips : Port Vale have yet to test
themselves against Championship opposition in this year’s Carabao Cup and they could
struggle against Middlesbrough, who have been generally strong on the road this
season and are probably stronger than their tenth position in the second tier
suggests.
Recommendation: Away @1.79