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Old 18-03-2017, 09:20 AM   #4
Riskur
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Default Re: [EPL] Middlesbrough vs Manchester United

Match preview: Middlesbrough v United

When and where can I watch it?
Manchester United return to Premier League action with a visit to Middlesbrough’s Riverside Stadium on Sunday for a 12:00 GMT kick-off. The match will be broadcast live in the UK on BT Sport, but you can also follow it via ManUtd.com's match blog and the club's Twitter account @ManUtd. MUTV subscribers can watch Match Day Live from 11:00 GMT, featuring radio commentary on the game, and will be able to watch the full 90 minutes from midnight.

How are both sides doing?
The last domestic outing was disappointing for both sides, as they were knocked out of Emirates FA Cup, with United going down narrowly at Chelsea and Middlesbrough falling to a 2-0 defeat at home to Manchester City. That match turned out to be manager Aitor Karanka's final one in charge of Boro, as he was relieved of his duties this week. The Reds bounced back on Thursday with a 1-0 win at home to FC Rostov in the Europa League, securing progression to the last eight.

It’s been a while; remind me what’s going on in the league...
It's been two weeks since United’s last league fixture, a 1-1 draw at home to Bournemouth, with three cup matches since then. United currently sit sixth in the table, just a point behind Arsenal, and six points behind fourth-placed Liverpool, though the Reds have two games in hand over the Merseysiders. Middlesbrough, meanwhile, have fallen into serious trouble: they currently sit in the relegation zone in 19th place, three points adrift of Crystal Palace and the safety of 17th, and just three points ahead of fellow North-East strugglers Sunderland.

Any early team news?
Ander Herrera serves the first of his two-match suspension after his red card at Chelsea in the cup, while Zlatan Ibrahimovic will also miss out in the second of his three-game ban. Paul Pogba picked up a hamstring injury against Rostov that will keep him out, while it waits to be seen whether Daley Blind will have recovered from the head injury he suffered in the same match. However, Jose Mourinho has said he "won’t cry" about missing players and he may yet welcome Anthony Martial and Wayne Rooney back to his squad after both missed the Chelsea and Rostov games through injury. Middlesbrough face a dilemma in defence, with Bernardo Espinosa, George Friend, Daniel Ayala and Calum Chambers all doubts for the game.

What happened to Karanka? Mourinho's friend and former assistant at Real Madrid leaves Boro after three and a half years, having guided them to automatic promotion from the Championship last season. However, they have struggled in the top flight, with only four wins all season, and are currently without a league win in 10, a run which stretches back to December. While the Teesside team can boast the fifth-best defence in the league, conceding only 30 goals, they’ve struggled at the other end of the pitch. Despite having the likes of Alvaro Negredo and Rudy Gestede to lead the line, they’ve scored a league low of 19 goals this campaign, and haven’t netted in their last four league games.

Who will be in the Boro dugout? Karanka's assistant-manager Steve Agnew will be in caretaker charge of first-team duties following the Spaniard's departure. One of his first acts was to appoint former United player Joe Jordan as a first-team coach, as he tries to rescue his side in a relegation battle.

What happened in the reverse fixture? United left it late to secure the three points with a 2-1 win when Middlesbrough visited Old Trafford at the very end of December. Goals from Martial and Pogba in the 85th and 86th minutes ensured it would be a happy New Year for United, after Grant Leadbitter had given the visitors a shock lead.

How have we fared against Boro in the past? History favours United in this fixture, with 52 league wins, 22 draws and 29 defeats in 103 meetings. Boro last beat United back in 2005, one of their five victories over United in the Premier League era.

What has Mourinho said? "When teams change coaches, the first impact is always a positive factor, so it’s going to be hard," Jose commented. "We go with what we have."

Who’s the man in the middle? Jonathan Moss is the referee for Sunday’s game, with the Yorkshire-based official taking charge of his third United fixture this season. Moss has shown 110 yellow cards and three reds in his 27 games overall this term. He’ll be assisted by Simon Bennett and Eddie Smart, with Bobby Madley taking on the role of the fourth official.

Anything else I should know? United have gone 17 games without losing in the league, a run which stretches back to October. Mourinho's men have scored in each of the previous seven away matches in the league, failing to score on the road only twice.

Who else is playing this weekend? It’s a full fixture list, with seven matches on Saturday and three on Sunday. Here's the list:

Saturday 18 March
(15:00 GMT unless stated)
West Bromwich Albion v Arsenal (12:30 GMT)
Crystal Palace v Watford
Everton v Hull City
Stoke City v Chelsea
Sunderland v Burnley
West Ham United v Leicester City
Bournemouth v Swansea City (17:30 GMT)

Sunday 19 March
Tottenham Hotspur v Southampton (14:15 GMT)
Manchester City v Liverpool (16:30 GMT)

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