Middlesbrough v Palace

Riverside Stadium, Saturday 3.00pm

Paddy McCarthy

Team news

Captain Paddy McCarthy has served his one-match ban and will return to the Eagles starting XI, replacing on-loan defender Paul McShane. Jonathan Williams is still out with a broken leg, but Dean Moxey is now fit after recovering from his knee injury.

Middlesbrough striker Scott McDonald is out after injuring a medial knee ligament in the midweek game with Leicester. Marvin Emnes will face a late fitness test on his hamstring strain.

Quotes

Roy Hodgson

"I think our performances have been very good in lots of the games we have drawn, although perhaps we could have been more clinical in front of goal.

"We are not far away from where we want to be though. And I think if we keep making the progress that we have then we'll get there sooner or later. No one has given up on making the play-offs yet though and I know this team is capable of going on a three or four game winning run.

"If we do that it will be a springboard to get back in there. I have been around this league and know that if you can go on a special run through March and April there is every chance you will make the play-offs.

"That is the challenge facing us but we have the right kind of characters around the place to keep looking forward and I know they will all want to finish as high as possible."

Paddy McCarthy

"Every game has to be a cup final now and we must try to get three points from each. If we can have a run of games with three or four wins on the bounce, that will see us up there or there abouts.

"It has been refreshing for everyone this season – the players are enjoying their football, the coaching staff have been second to none and everyone, including the supporters, are enjoying the journey we are on at the moment.

"But we are selfish people and we want more and more. We are working hard to be the best we can be and that means we want to get to the Premiership sooner rather than later and this club has enough about it to get there."

Middlesbrough - league stats

Position	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Points
5th	28	12	10	6	46

Full league table

Middlesbrough - current form

Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	For	Against
6	1	2	3	5	11

Full form table

Last five results

Date	Type	Home Team	Score	Away Team
20/09/2011	League Cup	Crystal Palace	2 - 1	Middlesbrough
17/09/2011	League	Crystal Palace	0 - 1	Middlesbrough
05/02/2011	League	Crystal Palace	1 - 0	Middlesbrough
06/11/2010	League	Middlesbrough	2 - 1	Crystal Palace
03/04/2010	League	Middlesbrough	1 - 1	Crystal Palace

All time results

Last meeting

Palace 2-1 Middlesbrough

Tuesday September 20 2011

Palace: Price, Gardner, McCarthy, Moxey, Marrow, Williams (Ramage, 66), O'Keefe, Parr, Zaha (Scannell, 86), Andrew, Murray (Iversen, 74)

Subs not used: Easter, Speroni, Jedinak, Caprice

Goals: Zaha (18), Andrew (52)

Bookings: Price, Murray

Middlesbrough: Coyne, Hoyte, McManus, McMahon (Bates, 46), Williams, Thomson, Zemmama, Arca (Haroun, 67), Smallwood (Emnes, 67), McDonald, Nimely

Subs not used: Kink, Bailey, Ripley, Halliday

Goals: Zemmama (55)

Bookings: McMahon, Arca