Soccer Odds: Wolves, Boro Meet for First Test of Season
Wolves (+170) vs. Middlesbrough (+200), Draw (+230)
The English Championship kicks off with a pivotal game between the Wolverhampton Wanderers and the freshly relegated Middlesbrough. The two teams will meet on Saturday, August 5th at Molineux Stadium. The site often has favorable odds on the underdog, if that’s the way you want to go.
The Wolves were hoping for a promotion last season but instead spent most of their time wallowing at the bottom of the table and even briefly flirted with relegation. They ended the season in a dismal 15th place.
But that was the old Wolverhampton, right?
After spending £22 million over the transfer window and bringing on Porto’s Nuno Espírito Santo to lead the club, you’d hope so. Most of their spending went towards Porto defensive midfielder Ruben Neves, who was picked up for around a whopping £15 million — a club record. Also added to the roster is Brazilian striker Leo Bonatini, 23, who is on loan from Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal.
Those are some interesting signings, to say the least. Neves, 20, is a promising young player, but only appeared in 13 games for Porto last season. Nuno wasn’t willing to give Neves much game time at Porto but he’s willing to sign him for a record sum at Wolverhampton!? The mind boggles.
Middlesbrough is reeling after their relegation last season, but they’ve taken some real steps to begin rebuilding. They’ve potentially overhauled their front line, bringing on Nottingham Forest’s top goalscorer, Britt Assombalonga, as well as West Ham’s Ashley Fletcher and Toulouse striker Martin Braithwaite. Under the direction of Gary Monk, Middlesbrough is in with a great chance of promotion.
Both teams are aiming big this season, and anything less than a promotion should be considered a failure. Middlesbrough has forked over almost £50 million to account for some of their shortcomings last season and should be a significantly better team because of it.
The Wolves have increased their spending too, but their decisions have been somewhat questionable. After a dreadful 2016-17 season, I don’t know if they’ve done enough to bring about a drastic improvement.
The Wolves are favored since they’re playing at Molineux, but I think Middlesbrough is being underestimated here. They’ve made the more significant changes over the summer and currently stand as the favorites to win the league.
Pick: Middlesbrough (+200)
Don Aguero is a man of many talents, writing about nearly anything you can put odds to. Don has been writing for SportsBettingDime since 2015, covering sports, entertainment and politics. You name it, he's covered it! He is also a steadfast West Ham fan, and has learned to embrace that suffering.
