Franck Queudrue to return for Boro

Luis Boa Morte, Papa Bouba Diop and Ian Pearce are all expected to miss the entire Christmas programme after being ruled out of the game.

Captain Boa Morte will be out for a month with a hamstring tear; fellow midfielder Diop faces a month to six weeks on the sidelines with a quad muscle tear - and defender Pearce's back problem is expected to keep him out for two weeks.

But manager Chris Coleman is hoping goalkeeper Antti Niemi, rated 50-50 following his recovery from cartilage surgery, and left-back Franck Queudrue (gashed shin) will return against Boro on Monday.

Middlesbrough welcome back Lee Cattermole from suspension for Monday night's televised clash at Fulham.

The 18-year-old midfielder missed last weekend's 1-1 draw with Wigan at the Riverside through suspension.

Boro boss Gareth Southgate will have to cope without Abel Xavier (hamstring) and Emanuel Pogatetz, who picked up a yellow card against the Latics and is banned for the trip to Craven Cottage.

Chris Riggott, who has not played since August due to knee and hamstring injuries, stands by to start alongside Jonathan Woodgate in the centre of defence with Stuart Parnaby poised to slot into the right-back berth vacated by Xavier.

Fulham: Niemi, Rosenior, Knight, Christanval, Queudrue, Volz, Brown, Radzinski, C Jensen, McBride, John, Helguson, Routledge, Zakuani, Runstrom, Lastuvka, Batista.

Middlesbrough: Schwarzer, Parnaby, Taylor, Xavier, Woodgate, Boateng, Cattermole, Morrison, Downing, Viduka, Yakubu, Jones, Arca, Rochemback, Christie, Davies, Johnson.