Two Championship teams will lock horns in the second round of the EFL Cup at the Riverside Stadium on Tuesday evening, with Middlesbrough welcome Stoke City.
Boro will enter the contest off the back of a 2-2 draw with Portsmouth in the Championship on Saturday, while Stoke were beaten 2-1 at home by West Bromwich Albion on the same afternoon.
Match preview
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Middlesbrough have made a relatively solid start to their 2024-25 Championship campaign, picking up four points from their three matches to sit ninth in the table, just a point off the playoff positions.
Michael Carrick's side beat Swansea City in their league opener on August 10, but they then lost 1-0 at Derby County on August 17 before drawing 2-2 at home to Portsmouth on Saturday afternoon.
Boro were actually moments away from losing on Saturday, but a penalty from Tommy Conway in the 90th minute allowed them to secure a share of the spoils at the Riverside Stadium.
Middlesbrough were impressive in the first round of this season's EFL Cup, meanwhile, beating fellow Championship outfit Leeds United 3-0 to breeze into the second round.
Boro won the League Cup back in 2004, beating Bolton Wanderers in the final, and while a cup run would be good for morale this season, there is no question that the league is more important for the club.
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Stoke, meanwhile, also won their Championship opener at home to Coventry City on August 10, before recording a 2-0 victory over Carlisle United in the first round of the EFL Cup.
The Potters have been beaten in their last two games, though, suffering a 3-0 loss at Watford in the league on August 17 before going down 2-1 at home to West Brom in the Championship on Saturday.
Steven Schumacher's side fell behind in the 18th minute of the game with the Baggies before Lewis Koumas levelled in the 29th minute, but Josh Maja's strike proved to be the difference between the two sides.
Stoke have also won the League Cup on one previous occasion, lifting the trophy in 1972 courtesy of a 2-1 success over Chelsea in the final at Wembley Stadium.
The Potters are actually on a four-game unbeaten run against Middlesbrough, including 2-0 victories in both Championship matches last season, with their last loss to Boro coming back in April 2022.
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Team News
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Middlesbrough are again expected to be missing four players through injury on Tuesday, with Jonny Howson, Tommy Smith, Marcus Forss and Alex Bangura on the sidelines.
Head coach Carrick will make changes to the side that started against Portsmouth, with Josh Coburn in line for a spot in the final third of the field, while Solomon Brynn is set to be introduced between the sticks.
The same back four that started against Portsmouth could again feature, including Luke Ayling, but there could be a change in the middle of the park, with Daniel Barlaser likely to be introduced.
As for Stoke, Ben Pearson, Enda Stevens, Michael Rose and Sam Gallagher are on the sidelines.
The Potters did not pick up any fresh issues against West Brom on Saturday, but head coach Schumacher will shuffle his pack for this League Cup fixture, with Frank Fielding, Lewis Baker, Wouter Burger and Jaden Dixon among those expected to be introduced into the XI.
Dixon, 17, made his debut in the last round of the competition against Carlisle, and he should again be among the starters here, while on-loan Liverpool teenager Koumas is set to continue in the final third.
Middlesbrough possible starting lineup:
Brynn; Dijksteel, Ayling, Clarke, Engel; Barlaser, Morris; Jones, Gilbert, Burgzorg; Coburn
Stoke City possible starting lineup:
Fielding; Dixon, Wilmot, Anderson, Johnson; Sidibe, Burger, Baker; Manhoef, Ennis, Koumas
We say: Middlesbrough 2-1 Stoke City
This is a tricky game to call, as both managers will make changes on Tuesday, and it is a match that could go either way. Middlesbrough will be able to call upon home advantage, though, and we are backing Carrick's team to navigate their way into the third round of the competition.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
