Monday 3rd February 2025

In Across the Leagues today:

• Germans deliver again…
• Middlesbrough v Sunderland, 8pm…
• Cards most likely… teenage prospects… 

On TV tonight: Targeting the Tees-Wear derby…

The Bundesliga delivered for us at the weekend. The goals keep on coming in the German top-flight…

Our three Both Teams to Score selections all clicked for a modest but very welcome 3/1+ winning treble.

Elsewhere, Bayern Munich won 4-3 - and Harry Kane scored twice…

Tonight’s Premier League Monday Night Football on Sky Sports is Chelsea v West Ham. But there’s also a big match in the Championship, being broadcast live on both Sky and ITV4. And it’s a tasty local derby, too…

Middlesbrough v Sunderland tonight…

It would be lazy journalism (and dangerous ‘blind’ betting advice) to say in one sweeping statement that all derby matches are instantly obvious ‘high cards’ bets…

But this Tees-Wear contest certainly carries enough evidence to suggest we may well witness a flurry of yellow cards at the Riverside this evening - and maybe even a red…

Straight off the bat, the Football League’s appointment of Stephen Martin is an interesting one…

He’s by no means the highest card dealer in the division (the Referee stats on our website show he is averaging 4.5 Cards per game in 2024/25). However, Martin had the whistle for Middlesbrough v Stoke earlier this season - and dished out an eye-catching 11 yellow cards.

Martin also took charge of Leeds v Millwall last season (no love lost between those two clubs)... and the man in black produced seven yellows there.

Bet365 are betting Under/ Over 4.5 Cards for tonight’s game. With the Over option priced at 4/5 (1.8). Skybet will give you 8/13 (1.62) for 50+ Booking Points. With a yellow worth 1 Card or 10 Points (read more in our Betting Guide), both bets will pay out on five or more bookings tonight. And less than that if there’s a red involved…

• 5 of the last 6 competitive encounters between Middlesbrough and Sunderland (league or cup) have gone Over 4.5 Cards/ 50+ Booking Points
• 3 of those 6 clashes have also paid out for a Sending Off in the Match

A Red Card tonight pays just over 4/1 (5.0) with Unibet, and more like 11/4 (3.75) to 7/2 (4.5) in general.

Long-time followers won’t be surprised to see that I am instead more interested here in the individual, Player to be Carded prices…

Keeping it simple here, my advice is to follow a couple of the most-carded men showing in the 2024/25 league stats for each side…

Both are talented teenagers with bags of skill, but the numbers also show these young lads have a recent track record of collecting cards…

• For hosts Middlesbrough, 19-year-old Ben Doak is right up there with 7 yellows this season. And according to the team news, he’s more likely to start tonight than 8-card man, George Edmundson (the latter due back in the squad having been recalled from loan, in order to complete a permanent signing at ‘Boro). Doak was booked in the reverse fixture at Sunderland earlier this season 

And for the visitors…

• Jobe Bellingham (yes, that’s Jude’s brother) is Sunderland’s most-carded player in the Championship this season. The 19-year-old has 7 yellows and a straight red to his name. My research also shows that 7 Jobe’s 8 cards have come in away games

We’ll take the best Card prices for Doak and Bellingham - see below for bookies. And also take the chunkiest available quotes for a derby-day double in the Bet Builder markets…

Championship 2024/25

Middlesbrough - Most Carded Players:

Sunderland - Most Carded Players:

Log-in to view all our stats for 18 leagues, hundreds of teams & thousands of players at:

www.acrosstheleagues.co.uk

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TODAY’S PICKS & BEST ODDS

See above for full details

Middlesbrough v Sunderland

Championship, 8pm - live on ITV4 and Sky Sports Football

• Player to be Carded: Ben Doak @ 5/1 (6.0) Bet365, 4/1 (5.0) Paddy Power, Betfair Sportsbook, 19/5 (4.8) Unibet, BetUK, BetMGM & LiveScoreBet, 7/2 (4.5) 888 Sport
• Player to be Carded: Jobe Bellingham @ 15/4 (4.75) Bet365, 10/3 (4.33) Unibet, BetUK, BetMGM & LiveScoreBet, 11/4 (3.75) Paddy Power, Betfair Sportsbook, 888 Sport
• Bet Builder (double): Doak and Bellingham to get Cards @ 25/1 Bet365, 20/1 Unibet, BetUK, BetMGM & LiveScoreBet, 17/1 Paddy Power, Betfair Sportsbook

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I’ll be back later in the week, when we’ll have cup action on the agenda. It’s the EFL Semi Finals, 2nd Legs midweek. And the FA Cup 4th Round at the weekend..

Enjoy the football…

Best wishes,

Oliver Upstone

Across the Leagues