STUANI SELECTION DILEMMA
Cristhian Stuani could hardly have made a better start to life as a Middlesbrough player, yet he has still made just two Championship starts despite scoring seven goals in all competitions.
He was Boro’s star man in Tuesday’s 3-1 win over Brentford, scoring a goal in each half, but will that be enough to keep him in the starting line-up at the City Ground this afternoon?
His presence on the right-hand side, with Stewart Downing lining up on the left, provides Middlesbrough with some welcome balance, but will Aitor Karanka think he is hard-working enough to line up in an away game?
The alternative is to complete Albert Adomah’s reintegration by handing him a starting spot, or to switch Downing back to the right and play the more defensively-minded Adam Reach down the left-hand side.
STICKING WITH DIMI
Karanka can be ruthless when it comes to his treatment of goalkeepers – witness the way in which Jason Steele was dumped from the first-team picture after his error in the head coach’s first game in charge at Leeds.
Nevertheless, it would still be a major surprise if Dimi Konstantopoulos found himself jettisoned in the wake of the clanger that enabled Brentford’s Lasse Vibe to score on Tuesday.
Karanka has goalkeeping options now that Michael Agazzi has signed on loan from AC Milan to join Tomas Mejias in the shot-stopping ranks.
But while Konstantopoulos’ error followed another mistake against Brentford in last year’s play-off semi-final, he is likely to remain in place this afternoon. That said though, one more mistake, and he could find himself on the sidelines.
PITY AT THE CITY GROUND
Middlesbrough overcame one hoodoo to win at Hillsborough last month – now they have to see off another as they attempt to improve on a dreadful recent record at Nottingham Forest.
March’s 2-1 defeat, which saw Boro throw away a one-goal lead as they conceded goals to Gary Gardner and Dexter Blackstock, extended the Teessiders’ winless run at the City Ground to seven matches.
Their last success at the ground came in March 1999 as goals from Hamilton Ricard and Brian Deane secured a 2-1 away win.
Prior to that, you have to go all the way back to 1973 to find Boro’s next most recent victory, meaning the Teessiders have failed to win on 20 of their last 21 visits to Forest.
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