MATCH PREVIEW
Middlesbrough striker Szilard Nemeth returns to the squad for Saturday's Premiership clash against Liverpool at the Riverside after a lengthy absence with a hip injury. Michael Reiziger is closing in on a comeback after being out since virtually the start of the season with a shoulder injury, but despite an hour in the reserves this week the right-back is at least another week away from a return. Boss Steve McClaren remains without four other players through injury - Ugo Ehiogu, Gaizka Mendieta, Stuart Parnaby and Chris Riggott.
Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez must decide whether to plunge youngster Neil Mellor into Premiership action at the Riverside now he has lost Milan Baros, as well as Djibril Cisse, from his striking department. Cisse is out for the season with a broken leg, while Baros has been ruled out for a month after damaging a hamstring playing for the Czech Republic in their 2-0 midweek win in Macedonia. Benitez also has Florent Sinama-Pongolle as well as Harry Kewell to call on, but finding an emergency forward partnership before he can buy in the transfer window is becoming increasingly difficult. The good news for Liverpool is that Steven Gerrard is back from eight weeks out with a broken metatarsal, while Spanish winger Antonio Nunez will play in the reserves next week and be fit for the home league game with Arsenal.
MSN
SPOTLIGHT ON THE OPPOSITION
Liverpool are in for a tough battle against high flying Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium as the Teesiders are currently fourth in the table and can boast one of the most fearsome attacking partnerships in the country. Jimmy Floyd-Hasselbaink and Mark Viduka between them have scored 12 goals this season and are a formidable partnership. Both have strength and certainly know where the goal is. Hasselbaink has a good scoring record against Liverpool and has found the net seven times in the last nine occasions he's faced the Reds while Mark Viduka has six in eight including all four for Leeds in a 4-3 win four years ago this month.
One of Boro's best displays this season came at Old Trafford when due to numerous injuries a very young side drew 1-1, and indeed they were very unlucky not to take three points. Left winger Stewart Downing is certainly making a name for himself in the Premiership and is in great form, both from a scoring and creating point of view. Their recent record shows just one defeat in 10 and that was by a Neil Mellor inspired Liverpool in the Carling Cup. Last weekend Boro beat West Bromwich Albion 2-1 at the Hawthorns but were quite lucky to do so as Kanu missed an absolute sitter in the last minute.
Steve McClaren, who is a good friend of Rafa Benitez, is a very shrewd and experienced coach who has got his team playing well. Gareth Southgate has the experience at the back, Ray Parlour has brought some class into the midfield while Downing and the two strikers Hasselbaink and Viduka speak for themselves. Hasselbaink is perhaps the best signing of the summer and Boro did really well to clinch the transfer.
Steve Hunter
HEAD TO HEAD
AT MIDDLESBROUGH: Liverpool 20 wins, Middlesbrough 23 wins, 19 Draws.
OVERALL: Liverpool 53 wins, Middlesbrough 36 wins, 35 Draws.
This is the second meeting of the teams in eleven days. A young Liverpool side beat a strong Boro line-up 2-0 in a Carling Cup tie at Anfield thanks to two Neil Mellor strikes. Last season the sides drew 0-0 at The Riverside. It was the fourth time in five visits that Liverpool had failed to score. It was also only the second ever goalless draw in 62 League meetings at Boro. It was Liverpool's 13th League game of last season. This game will also be the Reds 13th of this campaign.
Liverpool have won only twice in their last eight visits to Boro in the league and have lost four. However, the bigger picture tells us that the Reds have lost only 5 of the last 18. This will be the third successive season that Liverpool have played at the Riverside during the month of November. The Reds last win came three seasons ago-when John Arne Riise and Emile Heskey scored in a 2-1 win.
Liverpool's clean sheet last season is their only one in the last 9 League visits to Teeside. In the last 32 meetings home and away in the League Liverpool have lost just five.
Liverpool's biggest league win at Boro was 5-1 in 1905-06.
Their heaviest defeat at Boro was 5-0 in 1929-30.
Last Liverpool player sent off in a League fixture: Dominic Matteo in February 1999 at Anfield.
Last hat-tricks in the fixture: (Boro) Fabrizio Ravanelli (on his debut) in August 1996 at the Riverside in a 3-3 draw. (Liverpool) Robbie Fowler (4) in December 1996 at Anfield in a 5-1 victory.
The only Liverpool player to score a hat-trick for the club at Boro was Joe Hewitt in November 1905.
Liverpool have won just three time home and away in the last ten League meetings.
Harry Kewell played his first game in English League football against Middlesbrough for Leeds United in March 1996. For the record Leeds lost 0-1 at Elland Road.
Jamie Carragher made his Liverpool debut on this ground as a substitute in a League Cup tie nearly eight years ago.
Milan Baros has scored 10 goals this season in just 18 appearances. His best haul for the Reds came in the 2002-03 campaign when he netted 12 goals in 42 games. He has scored six goals in his last four games for Liverpool. However, his latest injury setback has put his good form on hold.
Djimi Traore has already spent more time on the pitch this season than the whole of last. He played for 915 minutes of the 2003-2004 campaign and has clocked up 1007 minutes this season. Milan Baros has also spent more time on the pitch this season than last.
lfctv
Middlesbrough squad: Schwarzer, Queudrue, Southgate, Cooper, Boateng, Zenden, Parlour, Downing, Viduka, Hasselbaink, Job, Riggott, Nemeth, Doriva, McMahon, Graham, Morrison, Wilson, Davies, Wheater, Peacock, Nash.
Liverpool squad: Kirkland, Josemi, Carragher, Hyypia, Traore, Kewell, Gerrard, Alonso, Hamann, Garcia, Riise, Sinama-Pongolle, Mellor, Dudek, Diao, Biscan, Finnan.
, i know you are pi$$ed, but that was off-side (not like against bolton). 
