MIDDLESBROUGH
12th in Premiership
with 43 points
Position achievable
after MatchDay 38:
Highest 12th - Lowest 14th
- MIDDLESBROUGH against Fulham is a lower mid table match-up between two sides who flirted with relegation but now have only their final prize money figure to worry about.
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The Teessiders have not finished lower than 14th in any of their eight previous campaigns since their return to the top tier, and the same will be true this time around. They could complete Gareth Southgate's rookie season as a manager as high as 12th, which will be worth £4,347,000, or as low as 14th, worth £3,381.000.
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'Boro are defending an unbeaten home Premiership record against Fulham of three wins and two draws. They've not lost on home soil to the Cottagers since a 0-2 reverse at second League level on 24 March 1984. Their last home top flight defeat to Fulham was 1-2 on 7 September 1949.
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Won one of the last five (0-1, away to Wigan last time out).
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Failed to win nine of the last 11 in all competitions.
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FULHAM
15th in Premiership
with 39 points
Position achievable
after MatchDay 38:
Highest 14th (with 6 goal diff change) - Lowest 17th
- FULHAM only became mathematically safe when Charlton lost to Spurs on Monday night. But the Cottagers also helped themselves with Saturday's 1-0 home win over Liverpool. It ended a 10-match winless run, and was their first maximum under Lawrie Sanchez, who had overseen one draw and two defeats. This is Fulham's last chance to prevent ending a second successive season with just one Premiership win on the road.
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The west Londoners are unlikely to finish as high as 14th. Sixth bottom would give them a merit payment of £2,898,000. The worst scenario would see them ending 17th, worth £1,932,000. Fulham have not finished in the bottom six in any of their five previous Premiership seasons.
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First-half goals from Heidar Helguson (penalty) and Brian McBride proved sufficient for all three points for Fulham in the reverse fixture five months ago. Now they're seeking a first ever 'double' over the Tessiders in top flight football, and first home and away triumphs in the same season over them in 23 years since 1983-84 (second tier).
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Kept one clean sheet in eight League matches (at the JJB Stadium on 5 May).
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Totalled 45 points last season from 12 wins, nine draws and 17 defeats. Won 11, drawn 10 and lost 16 so far in this campaign, totalling 43 points with just three more available.
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Lost three of the last four at home, including the last two against Aston Villa and Tottenham - conceding three goals in both.
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'Doubled' by Blackburn, Manchester City and Tottenham so far this season, and Fulham add themselves to that list.
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Aiyegbeni YAKUBU and Mark VIDUKA are Middlesbrough's top scorers with 16 goals each.
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YAKUBU is the club's top marksman of Premiership goals, with 12.
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LAST CORRESPONDING FIXTURE
Riverside Stadium on 20 Nov 2005
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Morrison 64
Yakubu 76
Hasselbaink 84
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John 9
Diop 70
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Jones, Southgate, Riggott, Queudrue, Parnaby, Morrison, Boateng, Rochemback, Pogatetz (Nemeth, 45 ), Yakubu, Hasselbaink (Doriva, 86)
Subs not used: Maccarone,Bates,Knight |
Warner, Volz, Knight, Goma, Niclas Jensen, John (Helguson, 78 ), Diop, Legwinski, Malbranque, Radzinski, McBride
Subs not used Batista,Rosenior, Rehman, Pearce |
Yellow card:
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Yellow card:
Niclas Jensen |
Red card:
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Red card:
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Attendance:
27599 |
Referee:
U Rennie (S. Yorkshire) |
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| HEAD TO HEAD at MIDDLESBROUGH |
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BORO |
Draw |
FULHAM |
| League |
14 |
4 |
7 |
| Premier |
3 |
2 |
0 |
| HEAD TO HEAD RESULTS |
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BORO |
Draw |
FULHAM |
| League |
23 |
7 |
21 |
| Premier |
4 |
2 |
5 |
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- The 1-0 home win over Liverpool last Saturday, was their first maximum since defeating Newcastle 2-1 at home on 3 February.
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Won only two of the last 19 top flight encounters.
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Won eight Premiership matches this season. Only Watford (five) have won fewer.
- Kept seven top flight clean sheets - only Spurs have fared less well (six block outs).
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On the longest current run of 11 matches since scoring more than a single goal in a Premiership game (2-1, home to Newcastle on 3 February). Also on the longest such sequence since winning by more than a single goal. It's now 49 League matches since the 6-1 success, home to West Brom on 11 February 2006.
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Drawn 15 times in the highest League. Only Aston Villa have finished level more often (16 times).
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Third bottom in the Premiership's "Last Six Current Form" table with four points from the possible 18. Only Charlton and Wigan are below them.
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One of two clubs to have recorded just one Premiership victory away from home. Since defeating Newcastle 1-2 at St James' Park on 9 September, drawn eight and lost eight of 16.
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Conceded more top division goals on the road than any other club (39).
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'Doubled' only Newcastle so far this season.
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Brian McBRIDE is Fulham's leading scorer, with 12 goals - nine in the Premiership.
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Only Liam ROSENIOR has started every one of Fulham's Premiership matches this season.
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Mark PEMBRIDGE needs one more appearance to total 400 in his English League career (Luton, Derby, Sheffield Wednesday, Everton and Fulham).
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This match provides an "old boys' reunion" for Franck QUEUDRUE, who made 199 appearances (150 in the Premiership) and scored 12 goals (11 League) in just under five years with Middlesbrough prior to his £3m move to Craven Cottage in the last close season.
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Suspended: Papa Bouba DIOP, Michael BROWN
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