Preview | Middlesbrough (H)
The Game
Argyle v Middlesbrough. Home Park. Saturday, 21 December. 3pm. Sky Bet Championship.
The Opposition
After 21 games of the Championship season, Middlesbrough have 34 points, and sit sixth in the table.
As November arrived, with 13 games played, Boro had won five, lost five and drawn three, at that point losing their most recent game, 3-0 at home to Coventry City.
The reaction to the loss with the Sky Blues was strong, though and Michael Carrick’s side racked up 15 goals in their next three games, winning 4-1 at Queens Park Rangers, 5-1 at home to Luton Town, and 6-2 at Oxford United.
The run came to an end with a home defeat to Blackburn Rovers, before another victory arrived, as Boro won 3-1 at home to Hull City. A week on the road yielded just one point, drawing 1-1 at Burnley and losing 3-1 at Leeds United. Most recently, last Saturday, Middlesbrough won 1-0 at home to Millwall.
The Gaffer
Manchester United icon Carrick came through the academy setup at West Ham United, making his debut in August 1999. After the Hammers were relegated in 2002/03, Carrick signed for Spurs where he would go on to spend two seasons before United brought him to Old Trafford for a reported £14 million fee. 12 seasons followed in Manchester under Sir Alex Ferguson, with Carrick becoming instrumental in the Red Devils’ midfield.
Capped 34 times for England, Carrick won the Premier League five times and the Champions League once with the Reds. After retiring at the conclusion of the 2017/18 campaign, Carrick became part of both Jose Mourinho’s and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s backroom staffs, even having a spell as caretaker manager. He was announced as the new head coach at Middlesbrough in October 2022 and has held this post since. The Carrick revolution was in full swing as he picked up the November Manager of the Month award and guided Boro to a fourth-place finish in 2022/23. The hangover of play-off heartbreak carried over into the following season, in which his side finished eighth. Carrick surpassed 100 games in charge of Middlesbrough earlier this season.
The Squad
Few Argyle fans will need an update on Finn Azaz’s (below) progression, but the former Argyle loan player has surely surpassed everyone’s expectations since moving on to the North East. Finn played 67 times for Argyle, scoring 15 times, during a season-and-a-half at Home Park. His second loan spell was cut short so that he could sign for Middlesbrough, and he has made an impact on Teesside. This season, in 20 games, he has six goals, eight assists and has won a Sky Bet Championship Player of the Month award.
Attackers Tommy Conway and Emmanuel Latte Lath have been the recipients of many of those assists, having scored eight goals each for Boro. Taunton-born Conway came through the ranks at Bristol City, scoring a dozen goals in each of the last two seasons, but has thrived since signing for Middlesbrough in the summer. Latte Lath is a 25-year-old Cote D’Ivoire international who spent many years with Atalanta, but never broke through, instead having a series of loans across Italy. He did well on a loan spell with St Gallen, in Switzerland, and signed for Boro in 2023, scoring 18 times in his first season in England.
Recent Meetings
Last season, the home game between the sides was a thriller, with Bali Mumba, Azaz and Morgan Whittaker on the scoresheet in a 3-3 draw. Later in the season, Argyle were very impressive in winning 2-0 at the Riverside Stadium, with Matty Sorinola and Ryan Hardie getting the goals.
Tickets
The game is sold out for home supporters. If you have a season ticket and cannot attend the match, you can make your ticket available via the Ticket Exchange and receive face value credit if your ticket is resold. Click here to find out more about the Ticket Exchange.
Argyle TV
Start your day with Argyle Breakfast, which gets under way at 10am, hosted by Erin Black and Aaron Cusack. Guests this week include Joe Edwards and Neil Dewsnip, with a host of other features during the two-hour show, including the chance to win a pair of boots signed by Morgan Whittaker.
Erin and Aaron will return at 2.30pm, for the pre-match show, live on YouTube from pitchside. Commentary for the game will be provided by Charlie Price and Ian Stonebridge.
Match passes to watch this game are available to international audiences and can be purchased here.