There are several intriguing games set to take place on Friday, including play-off hopefuls Middlesbrough visiting Blackburn in the Championship, leaders Bayern Munich taking on Augsburg in the Bundesliga, and Nice going up against Nantes in the French top flight.
Below we’ve picked out the best bets from Friday’s fixtures from both home and abroad.
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Friday football betting tips
Bet of the day
Middlesbrough to beat Blackburn – 7/5
Middlesbrough are right back in contention to make the play-offs in the Championship as the run-in hots up.
Michael Carrick’s side sit seventh in the table, level on points with West Brom directly above them, and they should secure another valuable victory at Ewood Park.
Recent wins over Derby, Oxford and QPR – while somewhat expected on each occasion – have given Boro a real chance of finishing in the top six in the second tier.
Those wins have also meant they could get their dismal run of five straight defeats at the end of January and into February, which set them spiralling dramatically off course, out of their system.
Boro still have plenty of work to do and with just six points separating sixth and 13th in the standings, several teams, as well as the Teessiders, will be eyeing a strong finish in a bid to extend their campaigns.
The visitors should have enough against a Rovers outfit that has dipped disastrously in recent weeks to virtually end their own hopes of making the play-offs.
Valerien Ismael’s side are not yet completely out of the picture as they’re 11th, five points behind Friday’s opponents, but a run of four straight defeats and a six-game winless spell overall means confidence will be low in East Lancashire for Boro’s visit.
Special of the day
Bayern Munich to beat Augsburg, Over 2.5 Goals and Both Teams to Score – 39/20
Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich should take another step towards regaining the title in Germany with victory at Augsburg on Friday evening.
The Bavarian giants are six points clear going into the weekend’s games after a 3-2 home win over St Pauli last time out.
Augsburg, who are eighth, are on a good run of form as they prepare to host Bayern, with Jess Thorup’s side now unbeaten in their last 11 Bundesliga games, although they have drawn five of those matches.
The hosts should be able to score on the night – they have registered a goal in eight of those 11 recent games – while Bayern have only kept one clean sheet in their last five league outings.
There also seems to be a high chance of at least three goals at the WWK Arena. Five of Bayern’s last seven games in all competitions have featured three or more goals, and each of the last five meetings between Augsburg and Bayern have ended with three goals or more being scored.
Long shot of the day
Nice vs Nantes – Draw – 31/10
Fourth-placed Nice are understandably favourites to win Friday’s tussle in Ligue 1 when they host Nantes, who are down in 13th place in the table.
However, this could be a tighter clash than the odds suggest and a draw between the two teams could yet play out at the Allianz Riviera.
Despite their lofty position in the standings and their chance of securing a Champions League place being still very much alive, Nice have failed to win any of their last three league games, losing to Lyon and Monaco and drawing with Auxerre recently, so their confidence could be fragile on Friday.
Nantes, who need the points to move away from danger towards the bottom, might just be able to avoid defeat, like they did in the reverse fixture between the two sides in October, which ended 1-1.
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