Michael Carrick has several key selection decisions to make ahead of Middlesbrough taking on Sunderland.
Boro are set to play out their second derby of the 2024/25 season on Saturday, September 21st.
Middlesbrough beat old rivals Leeds United 3-0 in the Carabao Cup last month, ending a run of six years without a win against The Whites.
The Teessiders’ record against Sunderland is much better in recent years, with Boro falling to defeat on just one occasion since a 2-1 loss in the FA Cup in February 2012.
However, new manager Regis Le Bris has the Black Cats in top form this season, with Sunderland sitting second in the Championship table going into the weekend.
In turn, Michael Carrick must get his team selection for the game spot on. With this in mind, Boro News have picked out three major selection decisions the Middlesbrough boss has to get right for the clash with Sunderland.
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Michael Carrick must replace Dan Barlaser with Aidan Morris vs Sunderland
Middlesbrough drew 1-1 with Preston North End in their last Championship fixture.
Dan Barlaser partnered Hayden Hackney in the centre of midfield for that clash but the Englishman’s display was subpar.
He offered very little going forward, which limited Boro’s ability to create chances. And while he was not terrible defensively, he lacked the energy and pressing ability usually brought by Aidan Morris.
Morris started the tie on the bench after returning to the Riverside late on Thursday due to international commitments.
As a result, Barlaser had a chance to stake a claim to become a regular starter this season but it is clear he must be dropped in place of Morris when Boro travel to Sunderland.
Tommy Conway vs Finn Azaz
After the win over Cardiff City last month, Middlesbrough midfielder Finn Azaz led the Championship in three statistics.
The ex-Plymouth Arygle man enjoyed a prolific start to the campaign, providing two assists and creating a plethora of chances for his teammates.
However, in an attempt to recreate the Cameron Archer-Chuba Akpom partnership that helped Boro reach the play-offs in 2022/23, Carrick deployed summer addition Tommy Conway as a number 10 behind Emmanuel Latte Lath this past weekend.
Conway was praised for his performance versus Preston, during which he scored his second goal of the season.
But the 22-year-old starting behind Latte Lath now means Azaz has been pushed out onto the left wing.
The Republic of Ireland international struggled in that role last term and was similarly poor over the weekend.
Carrick must now decide if he should once again sacrifice Azaz by playing him in a weak position or drop Conway for the Sunderland meeting in order to let the natural number 10 start in his best role.
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Ben Doak must start ahead of Isaiah Jones for Middlesbrough vs Sunderland
Isaiah Jones has frustrated for Middlesbrough in recent games and Carrick should look to drop the 25-year-old this weekend.
Marcus Forss has been spotted in training for Boro ahead of their meeting with Sunderland but the most likely replacement for Jones is Ben Doak.
The Scotland international looked sharp on his debut for the North East outfit last week and with the Black Cats expected to press high, Doak’s speed and ability to take players on should prove very useful on the counterattack.