Middlesbrough vs. Rotherham Betting Tips: Can in-form Millers inflict more misery on Chris Wilder?

It's off to the Championship we go on Saturday night as Chris Wilder's underperforming Middlesbrough host Paul Warne's bright-starters Rotherham at the Riverside. The second-tier tussle will be shown live on Sky Sports Main Event at 7.45pm, and as always we're on the case with two tips...

Nine games into the 2022/23 Championship season and it’s fair to say that it’s not yet gone entirely to plan for Chris Wilder’s Middlesbrough. Not at all to plan in fact. Those of us - like me - who predicted that Boro would be right up their challenging for promotion to the Premier League have been made to look rather foolish so far, with the club only above the relegation zone on goal difference following a return of nine points from a possible 27. By the time this game kicks-off, they could be in the drop zone.

One team who may have been expected to battle the drop is promoted Rotherham, a club that's yo-yoed to-and-from the Championship across the past six seasons. Yet, early signs are that long-serving boss Paul Warne - who is being linked with the Huddersfield job - may well have cracked the Championship code this time around after overseeing the club's joint-best ever start to a second tier season (level with the boys from 1965/66). Heading into the weekend, The Millers are currently one point off the play-off places with a game in hand, losing just once all season.

Middlesbrough may have been humbled by Cardiff on Tuesday but bookmakers are backing Wilder’s men to bounce back with a win this weekend at 8/13. Given Boro’s problems and Rotherham’s bright start to the season, the visitor’s odds of 5/1 for the win could attract a few here, while a draw is available at 3/1.

Rotherham have been one of the surprise packages of the second-tier, collecting 13 points from eight games, during which they’ve been defeated only once. Part of this is down to their measly defence, which has given up just six goals - only Sheff Utd and Preston have conceded fewer.

Warne’s men head up to the Riverside on the back of a 3-0 thumping of Blackpool which followed a draw on the road at Watford. Given their impressive form it is perhaps a surprise that they’ve failed to register a win on the road yet, however I do like the look of the odds-against price of 11/8 for Rotherham to either win or draw on Saturday.

Middlesbrough have won just twice in nine games - admittedly, both have come recently - although just as they looked to be gaining momentum they completely capitulated in the first-half against the Bluebirds, leaking in three goals. Wilder needs a win to swat away any further questions about his future, but in Rotherham he faces a stubborn outfit who will feel they have every chance of getting a result in this one.

Given that fast-starting Rotherham have taken the lead in a hefty six of their eight matches this season, I was surprised to see the Yorkshire outfit priced up at a juicy 9/4 (bet365) to break the deadlock once again on Saturday night.

The Millers have scored eight goals on-or-before the 34th minute, five of which have come before the 20th minute. Their ability to race out of the blocks will be of huge concern for Middlesbrough who, as touched upon, endured an absolute shocker in going in 3-0 at the break to Cardiff. "The defending was terrible,” was Wilder’s damning assessment of his side. “There's so many individual errors. There was a nervousness and edginess about us then and it spread right through the stadium. That was expected and deserved."

In fact, only Hull (18) have conceded more goals than Boro (15), who have let in the first goal in six of their 10 league and cup matches this term.