MATCH PACK: Bolton Wanderers
Middlesbrough (13th with 36 points) v Bolton Wanderers (18th with 29 points)
Kick-off 3pm
THIS will be the 106th League meeting between the two sides. The previous 105 games yielded 32 wins and 46 losses for Boro, with 27 being drawn.
Both sides are joint second-bottom of the goals scored rankings, having netted only 31 goals apiece in 34 games.
Boro have put nine goals past Bolton during their last two visits to Teesside. They defeated the Trotters 5-1 in January of last season, while a 90th-minute Stuart Parnaby winner secured a dramatic 4-3 triumph over Sam Allardyce's men, six weeks before Boro's UEFA Cup final appearance.
Historically speaking
Bolton recorded their only win at the Riverside back in 1996, during the reign of former Boro manager Colin Todd, with a 4-1 victory.
Boro: Walsh; Cox, Vickers, Pearson (Whyte 46), Morris, Whelan (Hendrie 70), Hignett, Pollock, O'Halloran (Moore 70), Barmby, Fjortoft.
Where are they now?
Gary Walsh - Currently goalkeeping coach at relegated Derby County.
Neil Cox - Playing for Crewe Alexandra, appeared in 29 games this season.
Steve Vickers - Has been involved in property developing across the North East and is currently coach for non-league Richmond Town U11s.
Nigel Pearson - Manager of Southampton.
Chris Morris - Runs his own pasty company in Cornwall with franchises across the south.
Phil Whelan - Has a degree in accountancy.
Jamie Pollock - Former manager of Spennymoor United and co-owner of Poulton Glass, based on Teesside.
Keith O'Halloran - Recently played for Cherry Orchard in Ireland.
Craig Hignett - Currently coaching with Boro's Academy as well as being involved in the media.
Nick Barmby - Made 14 appearances for Hull City, who lie second in the Championship.
Jan Aage Fjortoft - Director of football at Lillestrom and occasional media work.
Derek Whyte - Involved in football punditry.
John Hendrie - Now works for a sports law firm in West Yorkshire.
Alan Moore - Currently playing for Sligo Rovers.
If starting
Stewart Downing would continue his ever-present starting record for Boro this season.
Injuries and suspensions
Gary O'Neil is suspended for the next two games, but will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing a knee operation in the middle of the week.
Mido (hernia), Robert Huth (foot) and Andrew Taylor (ribs) will all miss the game.
Jussi Jaaskelainen (back) and Nicky Hunt (dislocated shoulder) are both long-term injuries. Joey O'Brien, pictured, (hamstring) and Ricardo Gardner (broken rib) are expected to miss the game.
Kevin Davies is suspended after picking up his 10th yellow card of the season in the 1-0 win over West Ham last Saturday - the goal he scored that day was the 100th of his career.
The Form Book
Middlesbrough have lost only once in the last six games at home in the league and have been defeated twice in their last eight games in all competitions at the Riverside.
During that run, spanning back to the middle of January, Boro have scored one more goal than they have conceded.
Gareth Southgate's men have lost only three times in their last 13 league games.
Boro are yet to score more than twice this season and have only found the net more than once on three occasions in the last 20 games.
Bolton have scored only four goals in their last seven away games, recording victory just the once, away to Reading with a 2-0 scoreline.
In their last nine Premier League games, Gary Megson's side have won only once, last weekend at home to West Ham courtesy of a goal from Kevin Davies, pictured. Of the other eight, Bolton have lost seven and drawn one.
Wanderers have conceded seven goals in their last three away games in the Premier League.
Points of interest
On 58 visits to Teesside, dating back 108 years, Bolton have won only 14 times.
Based solely on home games, Boro would lie 18th in the League with 20 points, while Bolton would be 19th in a league based entirely on away results, having picked up only six points away from the Reebok all season.
El-Hadji Diouf has picked up the joint most yellow cards in the division, with 11.
Bolton are the only side in the division not to have had a player sent off this season.
Kevin Davies has committed the most fouls during the 15 years since the Premier League was formed with 512.
Middlesbrough have had 12 different goal scorers in the league this season, while Bolton have had 11.
Opposition by numbers
Four - Number of times Bolton have won the FA Cup.
Nine - Consecutive games in which Boro have scored at home to Bolton.
11 - Number of other founder members in the Football League along with Bolton back in 1888.
14 - Times Bolton have won on Teesside in 58 visits.
18 - Goals Boro have scored against Bolton in the last nine meetings on Teesside.
110 - The number of English pounds spent by Bill Ridding in assembly of his FA Cup-winning side of 1958
139 - Appearances by Jimmy Phillips, Bolton's current Reserve team manager, for Middlesbrough between 1990 and 1993.
285 - Goals scored by Nat Lofthouse, Bolton's Honorary President.
Last time we met - November 11 2007
Bolton Wanderers 0 Middlesbrough 0
Bolton Wanderers: Jaaskelainen; Cid, Meite, A O'Brien, Speed (Andranik 80), Gardner, Guthrie, McCann, Nolan (Capt) (Stelios 64), Campo, Davies. Unused subs: Al Habsi (gk); Braaten, Michalik.
Middlesbrough: Schwarzer; Young, Riggott, Wheater, Taylor (Pogatetz 29), O'Neil, Cattermole, Boateng (Capt), Downing, Aliadiere, Tuncay (Hutchinson 67). Unused subs: Turnbull (gk); Shawky, Lee.
Referee: Lee Probert, Gloucestershire.
Bookings
Bolton: Nolan, 36, foul.
Middlesbrough: Wheater, 41, foul; O'Neil, 68, foul.
Attendance: 17,624 (Lowest Premier League crowd at the Reebok)
Conditions: Cold and still
Website Boro Man of the Match: Lee Cattermole
Referee: Alan Wiley, Burntwood, Staffordshire.
Mr Wiley refereed the corresponding fixture last season, but this is the first Boro game of the year for him. He was last in the middle for a Boro match on December 30 when Gareth's team won 1-0 at Portsmouth. In three games refereed by Mr Wiley this season Boro have won one, drawn one and lost one. Bolton have lost on both occasions he has officiated their games.
In 39 games this season Mr Wiley has shown 123 yellow and three red cards.
Weather
A cloudy day a maximum temperature of eight and a minimum of seven degrees is forecast.
Tickets
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Full coverage of the game will be available on Boro World. Right now on Boro World, exclusive interviews with Gareth Southgate and David Wheater.
