Middlesbrough travel to Deepdale to face Preston North End in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday evening.
Middlesbrough travel to Deepdale on Tuesday evening to face Preston North End, as Tony Pulis’s side look to reach the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.
Boro have made a fantastic start to the Championship, but a cup-run would be huge for the Teesside team and their fans this season.
Pulis will be keen to rotate his side, as Middlesbrough embark on their second game in four days; especially after the 60-year-old vented his frustration with the schedule in an interview with the Hartlepool Mail last weekend.
Middlesbrough’s cup campaign so far this term has often featured many of the younger members of Boro’s squad, including Nathan Wood, Marcus Tavernier and Enes Mahmutovic.
But, with the prospect of a place in the fourth round on offer if Middlesbrough can beat a North End side they defeated 3-1 in the same competition back in 2014, Pulis might be keen to field some of his first-team regulars.
Fringe strikers Ashley Fletcher and Jordan Hugill will both be hoping to get a start in Pulis’s XI, while summer arrival and likely starter Paddy McNair will be looking to throw his name in the hat for a Championship start.
The Boro lost 3-1 away to Premier League Bournemouth in the round-of-16 last season, but Pulis and his side will be keen to go further this term.
Below is how we predict Middlesbrough will line up for their trip to Deepdale on Tuesday evening, with Pulis making eight changes to the side that drew 0-0 with Swansea City last weekend:
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