Middlesbrough v Palace

Cellnet Riverside Stadium, Saturday 3.00pm

Michael Hughes

Team news

Michael Hughes is a doubt for the Eagles after picking up a calf injury in training. Hungarian international striker Sandor Torghelle hopes to pass a late fitness test after hurting his ankle ligaments.

Dougie Freedman or an unfit Ivan Kaviedes, recently signed from Ecuador, will otherwise partner Andy Johnson in attack.

Danny Butterfield and Darren Powell (both hamstring) and Neil Shipperley (knee) are all out injured.

Missing for Boro is new Dutch defender Michael Reiziger (shoulder) and midfielder George Boateng (ankle).

Palace manager IAIN DOWIE said: "If we show as much effort as we did against Chelsea then we'll be in with a shout on Saturday."

Middlesbrough - league stats

Position	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Points
7th	3	1	1	1	4

Full league table

Middlesbrough - current form

Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	For	Against
3	1	1	1	7	7

Full form table

Our away record v Middlesbrough

Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	For	Against
17	4	6	7	15	25

Last five results

Date	Type	Home Team	Score	Away Team
08/11/1995	League Cup	Middlesbrough	2 - 0	Crystal Palace
25/10/1995	League Cup	Crystal Palace	2 - 2	Middlesbrough
01/05/1994	League	Middlesbrough	2 - 3	Crystal Palace
23/03/1994	League	Crystal Palace	0 - 1	Middlesbrough
12/04/1993	League	Crystal Palace	4 - 1	Middlesbrough

All time results

One to watch

Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink

Middlesbrough's top scorer

Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink - 2 goals

Middlesbrough's bad boy

Boudewijn Zenden - 2 0

Palace old boys

Gareth Southgate - 17/01/89 - 01/07/95, Carlo Nash - 01/08/96 - 03/06/98

This season has been billed as the season where 'boro will break into the top 6 teams and get into europe. Their summer signings suggest they mean business.

Boro have strengthened their already hard-to-crack defensive lines by adding experienced dutch defender Michael Reiziger alongside the legendary Gareth Southgate, Ugo Ehiogu and the inspirational Frank Queudrue, who will be a constant threat.

In midfield they made the loan transfer of Spanish ace Gaizka Mendieta into a permanent one alongside the free signings of Dutch midfielder Boudewijn Zenden and Ray Parlour who was brought in from champions Arsenal and has quickly adapted to life at the Riverside, along with George Boateng, they are quick and merciless on the attack.

The two signings of the summer, though, for 'boro, have to be the two strikers. Mark Viduka, a quick accurate striker who is very unforgiving and his strike partner, Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink, who is definately the one to watch.

Ex-Chelsea legend, Hasselbaink would almost certainly not have gone anywhere and would be a definate starter in the Chelsea squad had it not been for a certain Mr Abramovich. He is always a threat to any opposing team and can score lots of goals in a short space of time.

Hasselbaink will be very dangerous and if Arsenal couldnt contain him for long periods of play then we don't stand much of a chance if we do the same. Again, we need to be tight at the back.