Middlesbrough vs Fulham; Sky Bet Championship
Middlesbrough vs Fulham. Sky Bet Championship.
Riverside StadiumAttendance23,850.
Middlesbrough v Fulham preview
Friday 12 January 2018 13:13, UK
Middlesbrough boss Tony Pulis will continue to assess his squad at the same time as hunting precious Sky Bet Championship points as Fulham arrive on Teesside.
Pulis has no fresh injury concerns, with Boro looking to break back into the play-off places with a third successive win in all competitions, but was denied the chance to run the rule over some of the players he inherited from Garry Monk when the Under-23s' clash with Newcastle was postponed on Monday evening.
He made three changes for last weekend's 2-0 FA Cup victory over derby rivals Sunderland with Ryan Shotton, Martin Braithwaite and Rudy Gestede replacing Cyrus Christie, Adlene Guedioura and Britt Assombalonga.
Assombalonga in particular will hope for a return with the B#15million summer signing from Nottingham Forest having managed 12 goals to date in a Boro shirt.
Fulham captain Tom Cairney is an injury doubt. The midfielder missed last weekend's cup defeat by Southampton and is rated 'touch and go' by boss Slavisa Jokanovic.
Marcus Bettinelli should return in goal after David Button got a run-out against Saints. Winger Floyd Ayite is set to miss out again with a hamstring problem.
Opta stats
Middlesbrough are unbeaten in their last 13 home league meetings with Fulham (W9 D4), since a 2-0 defeat in March 1984.
Fulham have failed to score in each of their last four away league visits to the Riverside Stadium, since a Simon Davies goal in a 3-1 defeat in May 2007.
This will be Tony Pulis' first league meeting against Fulham outside of the top-flight since February 2000 when he was Portsmouth manager - they lost 1-0 to a goal from Bjarne Goldbaek.
Fulham have kept just two clean sheets in their last 21 league matches.
Pulis is currently winless in six home league matches as a manager (D3 L3), his worst run since August 2016 with West Brom.
No Championship side have scored more away goals than Fulham this season (22, level with Wolves).
Prutton's prediction
What a big win that was for Tony Pulis on New Year's Day as Boro came from behind to win at Preston. Two defeats from their first two league games wouldn't have been a disaster by any means, but you always want to get that first win as quickly as possible.
Fulham are creeping up quietly on the play-off places again after a good recent run and victory at the Riverside would put them right up there. I reckon Boro will have too much for them on Saturday, though.
David Prutton predicts: 2-1 (15/2 with Sky Bet)
