It's known as the richest match in soccer for a reason. The winner of the duel between Norwich City and Middlesbrough will join the ranks of the Premier League next season, while the loser will be stuck in the grind of the Championship for yet another campaign.
ODDS ANALYSIS
Not surprisingly, these two teams are basically level with one another in terms of the betting lines. Norwich is the ever so slight favorite at +155 on the three-way line, just off from the +180 of Boro.
The total is set at 2.5 (under -140), a not surprisingly low total considering the magnitude of this match.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"It just shows that over the course of the season, the league doesn't lie. Whoever it was going to be, we would have wanted to beat them to get to the Premier League, simple as that." – Norwich City captain Russell Martin on the Championship final
HOW THEY GOT HERE
Norwich City, which finished third on the table this season with 86 points, needed to overcome its arch rivals from Ipswich just to get to this point in the Championship playoff. The Canaries took a 1-1 decision on the road, and they followed that with a 3-1 triumph at Carrow Road to advance. Norwich was decisively the better of the two teams every step of the way, largely thanks to the creativity of Nathan Redmond, who absolutely should be playing Premier League ball at this point in his career.
Middlesbrough had an even easier time dismissing Brentford from the playoff, winning 5-1 on aggregate in a home-and-home series which was over early on. Boro has now won five of its last eight matches overall, including beating Norwich at Carrow Road on April 17, a fixture which really proved to be costly for the Canaries in their fight for automatic promotion back to the Premier League after just one season.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
A tough fixture, this is for sure. Norwich has some real talent out on the wings in Redmond and Wes Hoolahan, both of which played well for it when it was in the Premier League last season, and these men are going to play the critical roles when it comes to winning this match.
Cameron Jordan and Bradley Johnson should help out up front, as the duo provided the Canaries with a total of 34 goals between them this season.
Middlesbrough though, has had its way with Norwich. The team has won both fixtures this season between these two, and it is really in fine scoring form at the moment as well.
Patrick Bamford has tallied 17 times on the season, and he could play a huge role off of the bench for Boro. Albert Adomah and Grant Leadbitter could play important parts as well.
The only fear that we have for Boro is its lack of experience in matches such as these. Many on this Norwich side went through the meat grinder of the Premier League for the last two seasons, and there have been many tight matches which it has had to live through.
Still, we can't underestimate current form, and Middlesbrough has the better of it. It won't be a stunning result if the men in red reach the Premier League once again, as Aitor Karanka and his clan have had Norwich's number all season long. They'll do it again on Monday in the most important match of all.
Middlesbrough 2, Norwich City 1
The English soccer lines for this contest were first released by BookMaker Sportsbook with Norwich City lined as a +155 moneyline favorite and a total of 2.5 (under -140). Since this game can be seen by anyone with a TV, BookMaker will have a multitude of wagering options available for it. Outside of the normal lines, you can gamble on real-time moneylines, spreads and totals. Live betting is open during every step of this match!
Need to fund your account before the big game but don’t have your computer? No problem! BookMaker Sportsbook now offers a mobile betting cashier so you can deposit money directly from your smartphone. Don’t miss out on getting paid because you couldn’t bet. Click here and deposit at BookMaker now! The fixture between Norwich City and Middlesbrough is scheduled for Monday, May 25, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. ET at Wembley Stadium. The match will be televised live on beIN Sports.
