York City welcome North Yorkshire counterparts Middlesbrough to the LNER Community Stadium on Saturday as both sides ramp up their pre-season preparations.
The hosts played out a 1-1 friendly draw with Sheffield Wednesday last weekend, while the visitors claimed a 1-0 victory over Portuguese side Vitoria de Guimaraes.
Match preview
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Finlay Barnes scored a debut goal for York City as the Minstermen held Championship outfit Sheffield Wednesday to a draw last Saturday, with the 22-year-old midfielder coming off the bench to equalise midway through the second half.
Michael Morton's men avoided relegation by the skin of their teeth last season, finishing just three points clear of the National League drop zone, so last weekend's draw with the Owls came as a welcome surprise.
York City lost 21 of their 46 league matches last term, picking up 13 wins and 12 draws along the way, although they finished the campaign with a better defensive record than 13 teams in the fifth tier.
The Minstermen are preparing for their eighth consecutive season outside of the Football League, having suffered relegation from League Two in 2016, so they will be determined to push for promotion in 2023-24.
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Middlesbrough, on the other hand, endured Championship playoff heartache last season, suffering a 1-0 aggregate defeat to Coventry City in the semi-finals, despite creating plenty of chances to win both legs.
Boro started the 2022-23 campaign under the guidance of Chris Wilder, but the 55-year-old was sacked in October following a run of two victories in 11 league games, with Michael Carrick coming in as his successor.
To say that Carrick transformed the team would be an understatement, as the former Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United midfielder oversaw a marked turnaround at the Riverside Stadium.
Between October and March, Carrick's side won 17 of their 24 Championship matches to cement their place in the playoff spots, suffering only four defeats in the process.
Although Middlesbrough's campaign ultimately ended in disappointment, fans of the club have plenty of reasons for optimism with Carrick at the helm.
Team News
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Michael Morton made 10 substitutes during York City's draw with Sheffield Wednesday last weekend, and the Minstermen's manager is expected to continue that trend on Saturday.
York City have already made 11 signings this summer, including former Fulham and Brighton & Hove Albion goalkeeper David Stockdale, who made his professional debut for the Minstermen back in 2003.
As for Middlesbrough, they released Joe Lumley, Darnell Fisher and Luke Daniels at the end of last season, with Alex Gilbert, Tom Glover, Rav van den Berg, Sam Silvera, Morgan Rogers and Seny Dieng arriving at the club this summer.
Top scorer Chuba Akpom netted 29 goals in 42 games across all competitions last term, while Marcus Forss contributed 10 goals and five assists.
York City possible starting lineup:
Whitley; Crookes, Latty-Fairweather, Sanders, Andoh; Burgess, Fallowfield, Hurst, Kouhyar, Pybus; John-Lewis
Middlesbrough possible starting lineup:
Glover; Smith, McNair, Lenihan, Giles; Hackney, Mowatt; Forss, McGree, Rogers, Akpom
We say: York City 0-3 Middlesbrough
While York City narrowly avoided relegation to the sixth tier last season, Middlesbrough almost sealed promotion to the Premier League, meaning that Michael Carrick's side should make light work of the Minstermen.
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Ben Morris
