Middlesbrough host Tottenham in the FA Cup fifth round this evening, in front of a sold out Riverside crowd.
Middlesbrough overcame Manchester United in the last round, winning 8-7 on penalties at Old Trafford. They booked their place in the fifth round and face Tottenham on Tuesday evening.
The Teessiders come into the game off the back of seven consecutive home victories and will be looking to continue this fine form tonight.
Tottenham have been hit and miss of late, with a surprise loss to Burnley sandwiched between two impressive wins at Manchester City and Leeds.
Writing in his predictions column on the BBC Sport website, pundit Mark Lawrenson had his say on how he thinks Middlesbrough v Tottenham will pan out.
‘Middlesbrough knocked Manchester United out in the last round and I’m sure they will fancy their chances of another shock here, especially at home,’ he wrote.
‘They lost at struggling Barnsley on Saturday, which shows you what the Championship is like – but they have won seven in a row at Riverside Stadium.’
He went on to say that the result will be determined by the side Antonio Conte starts with, and whether the likes of Heung-min Son and Harry Kane play a part.
‘My thinking there is that Spurs don’t play again until next Monday, when they host Everton. So why not go strong to try to win this one and get in the hat for the quarter-finals?’ he said.
Lawrenson predicted a 2-0 win for the Premier League side, and no cup upset in this round for Middlesbrough.
Spurs are expected to field a strong side this evening and so Boro will need to be on their A game if they are to triumph over another top flight team in the famous cup competition.
The winner of tonight’s tie will go into the last eight, where they could face the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea or West Ham, if they progress in their respective ties.
