Mick expects Boro to be 'ready' for Town test but wants to see a repeat of 'best performance of the season' at the Riverside

Mick McCarthy wants a repeat of Town’s ‘best performance of the season’ when Blues meet Middlesbrough again this weekend.

The Town boss was delighted with the way his side brushed aside Boro at Portman Road back in December but believes the Teesiders will be ready for the challenge ahead tomorrow.







“I think Middlesbrough will be ready for us,” Mick told the official Club website.

“We put in arguably our best performance of the season against them at Portman Road and deservedly won the game, so I’m sure they will be looking to reverse that at their place.

“It happened last year too. We turned them over at home but at their place, they were ready for us mentally and physically and they won the game thanks to a couple of Danny Graham goals.

“They are a very good side, Aitor [Karanka] has got them going up there and we know we will need to play as well as we did at home to get something from the game.”

Live commentary of the game is available on Ipswich Player from 12.15pm, with exclusive team news and build up announced via our official social media channels throughout the morning. The game is also to be broadcasted live on Sky Sports.

Team news

Town boss Mick McCarthy has been boosted by the return of Stephen Hunt and Kevin Bru, whilst David McGoldrick could also come into contention after returning to full training. Noel Hunt, Darren Ambrose and Luke Hyam remain sidelined for the Blues.

Middlesbrough could welcome back central defender Daniel Ayala from injury, with boss Aitor Karanka admitting he will hand the former Liverpool man a late fitness test ahead of the game. Ryan Fredericks will miss out with a thigh injury, whilst Mustapha Carayol is definitely ruled out.

Where they currently stand

Boro- 4th

Town- 7th

Last time we met





Town brushed aside Boro 2-0 at Portman Road earlier this term, in a well polished performance from Mick McCarthy’s side. Both goals arrived in the first-half, with leading scorer Daryl Murphy netting after 25 minutes before Jay Tabb doubled the lead with a superb header from a Teddy Bishop cross. The win actually saw Blues leapfrog ahead of Boro into second place at the time.

Match betting





If you fancy a flutter on the big game then make sure you place your bet with the Football League’s official betting partner, Sky Bet, and help earn cash for yourself and Town! Middlesbrough are seen as favourites for the game by Sky Bet and are backed at 10/11. An away Town win can be backed with odds of 3/1, whilst the draw can be found at 12/5.

Match officials

Referee: Michael Jones

Assistants: Ronald Ganfield & Richard West

Fourth Official: Stuart Attwell

Live commentary of the game is available on Ipswich Player from 12.15pm, with exclusive team news and build up announced via our official social media channels throughout the morning. The game is also to be broadcasted live on Sky Sports.





