Middlesbrough Preview

By Mark Heys
November 9 2007

Boosted by their two previous results under new manager Gary Megson over the past week, Bolton Wanderers will now go in search of their first Premiership win since the end of August when they take on Middlesbrough at the Reebok Stadium on Sunday afternoon

Draws against West Ham United in the league and Bayern Munich in the UEFA Cup have boosted optimism for everyone connected with the Wanderers and a win against Boro could lift the club out of the relegation zone.

Whilst injury has ravished through the Bolton team of late the spirit and work ethic of old seems to have returned under the Megson regime which began so hostile.

Boro boss Gareth Southgate has been put under pressure by the media just over twelve months after succeeding Steve McClaren so it is fair to say the need for three points is just as great from the Teesiders perspective.

Bolton had twelve players missing from their European adventure in midweek and this paved the way for the likes of Ali Al-Habsi to be given the chance of a rare start.

The performance of the Oman goalkeeper last time out will have given Megson much food for thought but it is more than likely that regular number one Jussi Jaaskelainen will be reinstated.

Nicolas Anelka (hamstring), Abdoulaye Meite (knee) and Christian Wilhemsson (ankle) are an outside bet to make a return but the likes of Nicky Hunt, Joey O'Brien, Ricardo Vaz-Te and Blerim Dzemaili are still out.

El-Hadji Diouf picked up an ankle injury in the last league game against West Ham but he would have been missing from the Middlesbrough game anyway after picking up a one match suspension.

Fellow striker Heidar Helguson has resumed light training after a couple of months out of action and he could well be in Megson's plans over the coming matches.

The full back dilemma may see Gavin McCann once again operate in the unusual role of right back but all depends on whether Meite will make a return to action.

Spaniard Ivan Campo will return to the side after being ineligable to play in any European competition in the early part of this season.

Matthew Bates and Julio Arca are both out with knee injuries for Middlesbrough and goalkeeper Brad Jones is missing with a thigh strain but Boro boss Southgate will give late fitness tests to striker Mido and defenders Jonathan Woodgate and Emmanuel Pogatetz.

Former Chelsea defender Robert Huth played for Boro's reserve team in the week but it is not yet known whether or not the giant German centre half will be in contention.

Boro have never won a fixture at the Reebok Stadium so from Bolton's point of view hopefully they can keep that sequence of events going for a while longer yet.

LAST TIME WE MET:

20/01/2007 MIDDLESBROUGH 5 (Speed (OG), Xavier, Viduka 2, Downing) BOLTON WANDERERS 1 (Nolan)

BOLTON: Jussi Jaaskelainen, Nicky Hunt (Ricardo Gardner), Abdoulaye Faye, Abdoulaye Meite, Tal Ben-Haim, Kevin Nolan, Ivan Campo, Gary Speed (Andranik Teimourian), Kevin Davies (Ricardo Vaz-Te), Nicolas Anelka, El-Hadji Diouf

SUBS NOT USED: Stelios Giannakopoulos, Ian Walker (GK)

BORO: Mark Schwarzer, Andrew Taylor, Emmanuel Pogatetz, Jonathan Woodgate, Abel Xavier, Lee Cattermole (James Morrison), George Boateng, Julio Arca, Stewart Downing (Jason Euell), Yakubu Aiyegbeni (Malcolm Christie), Mark Viduka

SUBS NOT USED: Andrew Davies, Brad Jones (GK)

SENT OFF: El-Hadji Diouf

PLAYED FOR BOTH:

Ian Bailey, Anthony Barness, Andy Campbell, Simon Coleman, Neil Cox, Andy Dibble, Allan Johnston, Alan Kernaghan, Gary Parkinson, Jimmy Phillips, Jamie Pollock, Kevin Poole, Michael Ricketts, Stuart Ripley, Andy Todd, Tom Woodward

DID YOU KNOW?

Veteran Portuguese defender Abel Xavier scored his only Boro goal when these two sides last met in January 2007. In the 2004-2005 campaign he was a trialist at Bolton but could not agree terms with manager Sam Allardyce.

Florent Laville's Bolton career came to a premature end in this fixture in September 2003. The French centre half picked up a long term knee problem and never played for the club at senior level again.

Former England winger Stuart Ripley represented both of these clubs during his career and his first goal in league football came whilst on loan to Bolton in February 1986 in a 5-0 win over the now defunct Newport County.

Bruce Rioch, Colin Todd, Stan Anderson and Walter Rowley have managed both clubs.