Middlesbrough could go back to the top of the Championship
tonight if they beat Blackburn at Ewood Park.
The game was rescheduled after a waterlogged pitch postponed
the match, which was originally scheduled to take place on Boxing Day.
Boro boss Aitor Karakna said his team are now ‘more
confident’ following back to back victories over Cardiff and Fulham, which have
put his side back in touching distance at the top of the table.
The two sides met at the Riverside as recently as last month
when they played out an unspectacular 1-1 draw. Since then Rovers have lacked consistency
winning two and losing two of their four league games.
Team News
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| Boro's Adam Clayton (Picture from mfc.co.uk) |
Adam Clayton is available for Boro again after missing the
last two games through suspension. Defender Daniel Ayala remains side-lined
through injury, so 18-year-old Dael Fry could make his fourth successive start
at centre half.
Rovers could be without Ben Marshall and Corry Evans, after
both of were substituted in their victory over MK Dons with knee and ankle
injuries respectively.
Boro striker Jordan Rhodes could start against the side he
left in the January transfer window.
The Opposition
Paul Lambert made a decent start to his career at Blackburn
when he was appointed in November but since then things have gone a bit stale.
After selling Rhodes he said he planned to build a new team,
and fans could be forgiven for looking forward to next season already.
Rovers are 18th in the table on 37 points, seven
points above the drop zone, so they aren’t safe yet. A 3-2 victory over MK Dons
at the weekend will have helped ease some nerves, following a Jordi Gomez’s winner
in stoppage time.
One To Watch
Jordi Gomez
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| Jordi Gomez (Picture from lancashiretelegraph.co.uk) |
The experienced midfielder, on loan from Sunderland, has been
an instant hit at Blackburn. He opened the scoring against Boro at the
Riverside on his debut and registered two more against MK Dons on Saturday.
The 30-year-old is a threat from set plays and can shoot
from distance. Boro will therefore have to make sure he doesn’t receive too
much time in the ball in dangerous areas.
Last Time Out
Middlesbrough 1
Blackburn 1
Boro salvaged a point in a poor game at the Riverside at the
start of February. Jordi Gomez opened the scoring with a long range shot in the
72nd before David Nugent equalised 11 minutes from time.
Team I Would Play
GK Dimi Konstantopulos
RB Richie De Laet
CB Ben Gibson
CB Dael Fry
LB George Friend
CM Adam Forshaw
CM Adam Clayton
LM Stewart Downing
RM Albert Adomah
CAM Cristhian Stuani
ST Jordan Rhodes
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