Tony Pulis faces off against his former club as Middlesbrough take on Crystal Palace at the Riverside Stadium in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.
Middlesbrough's defensive strength may come in handy as Palace have struggled for goals in the Premier League this season, scoring only seven times in 10 games.
Boro, meanwhile, have conceded just eight in 15 games so a high-scoring affair is unlikely.
| Game | Middlesbrough vs Crystal Palace |
| Date | Wednesday, October 31 |
| Time | 8pm GMT / 4pm ET |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In the United States (US), the game is not being broadcast live on television, but it can be streamed live on ESPN+.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| n/a | ESPN+ |
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game will not be broadcast live on TV, nor will it be available to stream online.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| n/a | n/a |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Middlesbrough Squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Konstantopoulos, Ripley, Randolph, Lonergan |
| Defenders | Friend, Ayala, Shotton, Batth, McQueen, Flint, Stubbs, Spence |
| Midfielders | Leadbitter, Clayton, Howson, McNair, Downing, Fry, Saville, Wood-Gordon, Wing, Tavernier, Liddle, Besic, Malley, O'Neill, Walker |
| Forwards | Assombalonga, Braithwaite, Hugill, Fletcher, Chapman, Gestede, Reading, Brahimi |
Ryan Shotton (knee) remains sidelined but Pulis has no other fresh injury concerns.
Ashley Fletcher will be pushing to start after scoring a hat-trick for the U23's last week.
Potential Middlesbrough starting XI: Randolph; Fry, Batth, McNair; Tavernier, Leadbitter, Saville, Downing, Wing; Fletcher, Gestede.
| Position | Crystal Palace squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Speroni, Hennessey, Guaita |
| Defenders | Ward, Van Aanholt, Tomkins, Dann, Sakho, Schlupp, Souare, Wan-Bissaka, Jach, Kelly |
| Midfielders | Milivojevic, Meyer, Kouyate, Townsend, McArthur, Williams, Kaikai, Puncheon, Reidewald |
| Forwards | Sorloth, Ayew, Benteke, Wickham. |
Crystal Palace are still without Christian Benteke, Joel Ward, and Scott Dann. Talisman Wilfried Zaha is unlikely to play as Palace may look to rest players.
Max Meyer has featured in the previous two rounds and he might be set for another appearance here.
Potential Crystal Palace XI: Guaita; Kelly, Tomkins, Reidewald, Schlupp; Meyer, McArthur, Puncheon, Townsend, Wickham, Ayew.
Betting & Match Odds
The bookies have this one priced up quite closely with Middlesbrough slight underdogs at 23/10 on bet365 . A draw is 12/5 whereas Palace are favourites at 27/20
Match Preview
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A goalfest is never to be expected when Tony Pulis takes on Roy Hodgson.
Both managers are expected to rotate as they prepare for tough challenges in the league at the weekend, with Pulis facing another of his former clubs, Stoke City. The former West Brom boss recognises that his team may be fatigued but naturally wants to win the game.
“The players have had so many games and people forget about the international break, some players have played for their countries in the heart of Europe," Pulis said.
“I’ll be looking at the team carefully although we want to do well and want to win the game."
Palace, however, have a trip to Stamford Bridge ahead of them, where they face Chelsea, a game which should see Hodgson place less importance on Wednesday's match.
Middlesbrough have tasted success in the competition before, winning the trophy in 2004 after beating Bolton in the final.
