Middlesbrough take on Oxford United on their return of Championship action this weekend.
Boro travel away from the Riverside Stadium on Saturday, facing recently promoted Oxford United, aiming to continue the solid run they began to put together prior to the November break.
Ahead of the weekend, Michael Carrick’s side sit in 7th place of the Championship table while The U’s are down in 16th.
Middlesbrough won their previous two fixtures by very impressive scorelines, beating Luton Town 5-1 and Queens Park Rangers 4-1.
Their form prior to that had been sketchy, however, with Carrick no doubt eager to avoid another blip this weekend.
Prior to the game, a Championship expert gave an interesting prediction for Oxford vs Middlesbrough, which fans of the North East outfit should like.
Michael Carrick Oxford United vs Middlesbrough
Meanwhile, Carrick has now spoken to the media on Thursday afternoon ahead of the Oxford meeting.
The Boro boss discussed a number of topics in the presser, including providing a team news update.
Fitness concerns were raised over Ben Doak earlier this week after he represented Scotland during the break.
But when speaking to the media on November 21st, Carrick did not mention Doak as a concern.
However, he did provide a rather concerning update on star midfielder, Aidan Morris.
He said: “Aidan [Morris] twisted his knee last week as well and he’s going to be out for a number of weeks.
“He’s not back with us until until Monday. He’s getting some extra treatment back home to give him a little bit of time to take a deep breath really. So he’s back in on Monday.”
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Michael Carrick has major Middlesbrough midfield problem
As well as Morris, Hayden Hackney picked up a knock while away with England’s U21s this month as well.
Carrick also provided an update on him in his presser, stating: “Hayden [Hackney], we’re still assessing him really so we’ll see how that goes he’s not long been back [from England U21s].”
With Morris out and Hackney a doubt, Middlesbrough will likely have to deploy Jonny Howson and Dan Barlaser in their midfield pivot against Oxford.
Howson is a decent option to have despite his age and remains Boro’s captain. But Barlaser has been underwhelming for Middlesbrough this season.
Should Hackney also be facing a spell on the sidelines, it could deal the Teessiders a major blow in their promotion push.