Sky Sports pundit David Prutton has predicted that Aston Villa will come out on top for the fourth time in a row in their clash with Middlesbrough this weekend.
Dean Smith’s side continued their winning streak with victory over Nottingham Forest in midweek, having beaten Birmingham City and Derby County beforehand, while Boro are looking to bounce back from two successive home defeats to Brentford and Preston.
Heralding to turnaround which has left the Villans within touching distance of the play off spots, Prutton believes they will take another big step towards a top six finish with a 2-0 over the Riverside outfit.
He wrote on Sky Sports’ website: “Aston Villa look a totally different proposition now to a couple of weeks ago, having won three games on the spin.
“Middlesbrough, meanwhile, have now lost their last two and are starting to look over their shoulders a bit. Confidence will be low and they are missing a few key players, so I’ll back a Villa win.”
Opinion
Confidence is a huge factor when it comes to football and while Villa will be riding their wave of recent success, Middlesbrough will be wondering what on earth has gone wrong in the last week. Losing twice is bad enough but to do it in front of your home fans is the last thing you want. Perhaps Tony Pulis’ men could flourish, rather than falter, on the road as they escape the immense pressure of playing in front of their home fans. They have a seriously tough task on their hands though, for Villa have finally looked like the side that everyone expected they could be at the start of the season. No one can play down just how much of an impact the return of Jack Grealish has had on their side and he has started pulling strings in the last three games. It is no coincidence their form has flipped on its head with his comeback and Boro best silence the Villa favourite if they want any chance of victory this weekend.