vs
Middlesbrough v Manchester
United
Riverside Stadium.
~Saturday, 2 December 2006~
Ch 24 - 1:15am - (Live)
MIDDLESBROUGH will run out for this Saturday
teatime fixture, in the hope of history repeating itself. The
Teessiders face the awesome task of preventing Manchester United
from establishing a six-point lead at the summit. But 'Boro took
four points off the Red Devils' last season and humiliated them in
this corresponding fixture. They've also already beaten Chelsea at
home.
'Boro, who held United to a goalless draw at Old Trafford in May,
have sights set on their first ever back-to-back home victories
over the Red Devils in the Premiership, and only their fourth
maximum on home soil in this League against them. The Teessiders
took a firm grip on this fixture in October last year when Gaizka
Mendieta scored in the second minute and they never loosened it,
winning by a remarkable 4-1 margin.
Aiyegbeni YAKUBU is Middlesbrough's top scorer with four
goals.
Goalkeeper Mark SCHWARZER and Emanuel POGATETZ are the only players
to have been on the field for every minute of Middlesbrough's
Premiership matches this season.
MANCHESTER UNITED returned to winning ways on
Wednesday night (3-0, home to Everton) after sharing the spoils in
last Sunday's shoot-out with fellow high-fliers Chelsea. The
Londoners are inactive this weekend, which means the leaders have
opportunity to launch a huge psychological blow by increasing their
advantage with a fifth successive Premiership victory on the road.
They are the only club still to lose a Premiership game away from
home this season.
Louis SAHA is United's leading scorer with nine League and Cup
goals.
Wayne ROONEY is the club's top marksman in the Premiership with
seven.
ROONEY is one shy of 50 career Premiership goals.
If he lines up for the kick-off, ROONEY will be making his 100th
start in a United shirt.
Middlesbrough (from): Schwarzer, Jones, Turnbull,
Xavier, Davies, Huth, Woodgate, Pogatetz, Taylor, Arca, Boateng,
Downing, Cattermole, Morrison, Rochemback, Euell, Mendieta, Yakubu,
Maccarone, Graham.
Manchester United: Van der Sar, Kuszczak, Neville,
Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, O'Shea, Silvestre, Evra, Heinz, Fletcher,
Ronaldo, Scholes, Carrick, Giggs, Richardson, Saha, Rooney, Smith,
Solskjaer.
REFEREE
Chris Foy (St Helens, Merseyside)
LAST SEASON'S CORRESPONDING GAME
Middlesbrough 4-1 Manchester United
HEAD TO HEAD TOTALS
at Middlesbrough only
League: Middlesbro 18 wins, Man United 19, Draws 11
Prem: Middlesbro 2 wins, Man United 7, Draws 2
