Palace v Middlesbrough

Selhurst Park, Saturday 3.00pm

Mile Jedinak

Team news

Manager Ian Holloway is boosted by the return of midfielder Mile Jedinak who suffered a broken nose and cheekbone against Huddersfield last month. The Aussie could wear a protective face mask.

Defender Joel Ward hopes to be added to the squad after recovering from a groin injury. However, Brazilian midfielder Andre Moritz (ankle), on-loan striker Alex Nimely (hamstring), Paddy McCarthy (groin) and Owen Garvan (knee) are sidelined.

Middlesbrough boss Tony Mowbray has a number of defenders injured. Jonathan Woodgate is doubtful due to a calf injury, while fellow centre halfs Seb Hines (knee) and Andre Bikey are also doubts.

Curtis Main is banned following his red card after scoring in the midweek win over Leeds. Scott McDonald is also out (back), Ishmael Miller looks to improve his match fitness, while midfielder Kieron Dyer is available for selection.

Quotes

Roy Hodgson

“We’ve got to get used to winning again, I know it sounds strange. We’ve had a lot of late comebacks, we’ve had a lot of changes to the personnel with injuries and all sorts of stuff. I believe that little negative period that everybody has in the season is well and truly over.

“I look at the atmosphere out there and the way the lads have valiantly fought back and actually gone back to committing to what I want them to do. We’ve dominated both of our last games in the second half and we could have ended up scoring five or six goals in that time. That’s all I’m trying to get into them – that’s what we are capable of, let’s go and do it.

“You’ve got to get out of what has recently happened and just be positive in thinking the chances we have created against these teams has given us something that we’ve got to try and harness in the first half.

"Everything was going for us a few months ago, without a shadow of a doubt. We had three penalties in 10 minutes in what I think was my first home game. You don’t always get that, do you?

“We’ve scored four goals in the last two games and we’ve got to keep trying and do that. When we do that I think we are pretty difficult to stop.”

Tony Mowbray

“I think that’s modern day football, you lose a couple of games and it suddenly becomes a crisis. We created the expectation by doing well earlier in the season and we have to deal with the negative side of losing some games.

“I would have to say on a personal note I was never aware of any criticism of the team because I didn’t see it, or read it and I’m not interested in listening to it to be honest.

“I’m not interested in hearing about negativity when we are in the top six. If we were in the bottom six I’m sure I would be hearing it loud and clear.

“Everyone has got an opinion,” he continued. “I think people who pay their money to watch their football team, they are allowed an opinion.

“And as the manager I will continue to do what I think is right for the team, despite phone-ins, letters pages - it doesn’t matter to me. Ultimately, this club is no different to any other club, if you don’t win enough matches you will lose your job.

“And I would have to say if we were in the bottom six, struggling, looking over our shoulder, no problem, that’s fine. But we’re not, we’re trying to get promotion and I genuinely can’t understand negativity.

“A defeat is always around the corner and you have to take the defeats when they come along with the victories.”

Middlesbrough - league stats

Position	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Points
6th	31	16	2	13	50

Full league table

Middlesbrough - current form

Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	For	Against
8	3	0	5	10	15

Full form table

Last five results

Date	Type	Home Team	Score	Away Team
25/08/2012	League	Middlesbrough	2 - 1	Crystal Palace
04/02/2012	League	Middlesbrough	0 - 0	Crystal Palace
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

All time results

Last meeting

Middlesbrough 2-1 Palace

Saturday August 25 2012

Middlesbrough: Steele, Hoyte, Hines, Friend, Williams, Reach, Leadbitter, Zemmama, Haroun (Main, 78), McEachran (Smallwood, 78), Miller (Williams, 67)

Subs not used: Arca, McManus, Leutwiler, Ledesma

Goals: Hines (41), Zemmama (52)

Palace: Speroni, Ramage, Martin, Garvan, Blake, Dikgacoi (Moritz, 60), Jedinak, Parr, Easter (Appiah, 63), Bolasie (Moxey, 79), Zaha

Subs not used: Price, Wilbraham, Ward, O'Keefe

Goals: Easter (pen 56)

Booking: Zaha, Martin