Michael Carrick begins his reign as Middlesbrough head coach with a Championship fixture against Preston North End at Deepdale.
At a time when Boro sit in 21st position in the standings, Preston have dropped down to 12th spot after a poor run of form in the second tier.
Match preview
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With Middlesbrough sitting marginally above the relegation zone, Carrick will acknowledge that he has little time to settle into his new role at the Riverside Stadium.
Boro will recognise that they have pulled off a coup to attract the former Manchester United backroom-staff member and caretaker boss back to the North East, but the Englishman needs to hit the ground running to lift the mood at the club.
Ahead of his appointment, Boro collected four points from fixtures against Wigan Athletic and Huddersfield Town, which represents their best return over a two-game period all season.
That statistic highlights the size of the task in front of Carrick, particularly away from home with the win at Wigan ending a four-game losing streak.
On a more positive note, Boro have not conceded more than two goals in any of their last seven outings, giving Carrick a platform to build upon as he decides how to set up his side.
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There was a time not so long ago when Preston were making headlines for their outstanding defensive record and equally poor effort in attack, but that has now changed in the extreme.
Although netting seven times in their last five games is a positive, conceding nine strikes during the same period is not, particularly when four of them came at rivals Blackpool last weekend.
Had Preston prevailed at Bloomfield Road, Ryan Lowe's side would be occupying eighth spot right now, but a 4-2 reverse means that just three points have been collected from the last four games.
Lowe is certainly not under any notable pressure at Deepdale, and should not be at this stage, yet it will not be lost on the board and fans that just seven wins have come from their most recent 22 games in the second tier, stretching back to the middle of April.
If Preston want to evolve from mid-table certainties to playoff candidates, that needs to change quickly, starting with a run of three home fixtures in four games ahead of the start of the World Cup.
Team News
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Lowe will inevitably make changes to the Preston side which lost at Blackpool, with Alan Browne and Robbie Brady both in line to return to the starting XI.
Ched Evans is pushing to feature ahead of Ben Woodburn in the final third with Troy Parrott still absent with a hamstring injury.
Although Andrew Hughes is unlikely to be risked after a minor thigh issue, Greg Cunningham is fit to start after sustaining an ankle problem last weekend.
After serving a one-match ban for five yellow cards, Matt Crooks should return to the Middlesbrough midfield.
Alex Mowatt could be the player to miss out, while Carrick will consider handing a start to Rodrigo Muniz in place of Chuba Akpom.
Preston North End possible starting lineup:
Woodman; Storey, Lindsay, Cunningham; Browne, Whiteman, Ledson, Fernandez; Brady; Evans, Riis
Middlesbrough possible starting lineup:
Steffen; Smith, Fry, Lenihan, Giles; McNair, Howson, Crooks; Jones, Akpom, Watmore
We say: Preston North End 1-1 Middlesbrough
A game between a team with one of the worst home records in the division against a club with one of the worst away records could throw up any result. Nevertheless, with neither side having impressed in front of goal this campaign, we can only predict a low-scoring stalemate.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Darren Plant
