Wigan Athletic (10th with eight points) v Middlesbrough (16th with six points)
Kick-off 3pm

THE youngest club in the league host the fifth eldest in only the 10th ever meeting between the two sides, with the previous nine seeing Boro win four, Wigan two and three draws.

Wigan have not recorded back-to-back victories for 41 games, while Boro have not lost five on the bounce for 12 months.

If selected

Mohamed Shawky would be playing a day before his 27th birthday.

Lee Cattermole would play against Boro for the first time following his £3.5m move to Wigan during the summer.

Injuries and suspensions

Gary O'Neil missed the latter part of the week's training with illness.

Andrew Taylor is having a hip injury assessed by Boro's medical staff and Jonathan Grounds has been recalled from his successful loan spell at Norwich City to provide cover.

Robert Huth is struggling with an ankle problem.

Julio Arca has suffered a setback after feeling his ankle injury in training a week ago. The Argentine is currently in his homeland seeing a specialist.

Tuncay continues his recovery from a medial knee ligament injury, while Rhys Williams has returned to his native Australia as he nurses damaged lateral knee ligaments.

Emanuel Pogatetz serves the second game of a three-match ban for his dismissal at Old Trafford in the Carling Cup.

The Form Book

Boro are yet to keep a clean sheet this season. The last time that was achieved was a 2-0 victory against Portsmouth at the Riverside in the penultimate game of last season.

Gareth Southgate's side have only ever lost once away to Wigan, 1-0 on August 15 last year.

Wigan have lost only once at the JJB Stadium this season, a 1-0 reverse against league leaders Chelsea.

Boro will want to avoid recording a fifth successive defeats, a feat that last occurred in September and October of last season.

They are also yet to win away from home in the league since December 29 2007.

The first ever meeting between these two saw Bruce Rioch's side travel to Greater Manchester in the opening month of the 1986/87 season, as Boro began in Division Three following their near extinction eight days earlier.

Points of interest

Boro's defeat to West Brom was the first game this season they've lost despite having more possession than the opposition.

The Teessiders are still searching for their 600th Premier League goal - their next strike will bring up that milestone.

Three goals for Boro in this game will see them reach 6,000 all-time league goals.

Of Steve Bruce's 30 Premier League games in charge of Wigan, he has an even spread of 10 wins, 10 draws and 10 defeats.

The two sides have met only once before in the month of October, a 2-1 win for Boro in a 2003 Carling Cup tie, as Massimo Maccarone and a first goal for Gaizka Mendieta helped the Teessiders past the Latics on the way to glory.

Boro are the only team in the Premier League not to have conceded a goal in the first half this season. Wigan, on the other hand, haven't conceded a goal in the second half in any of their six league games to date.

Afonso Alves leads the Premier League charts for shots on target, with 16 attempts.

Opposition by numbers

4 - Games without a defeat

5 - Attempts to form a football club within the town of Wigan

6 - Goals scored by in-from striker Amr Zaki, pictured below, so far this season

7 - Number of goals scored against Middlesbrough

10 - Highest position achieved in the Premier League

32 - Points taken by Steve Bruce out of a possible 87

76 - Years since formation

1978 - Elected to Football League

Last time we met

January 29 2008

Middlesbrough 1 Wigan Athletic 0

A solitary Jeremie Aliadiere strike handed Boro a vital three points at the Riverside to lift them five points clear of the drop-zone, as Stewart Downing put in a Man of the Match performance in front of watching new England boss Fabio Capello.

Middlesbrough: Schwarzer; Young, Wheater, Huth, Grounds, O'Neil, Arca (Capt), Rochemback, Downing (Cattermole 87), Aliadiere (Johnson 72), Tuncay (Mido 34). Unused subs: Turnbull (gk); Riggott.

Wigan Athletic: Kirkland; Melchiot (Capt), Bramble, Scharner, Kilbane, Valencia, Brown, Palacios, King (Koumas 52), Bent (Sibierski 75), Heskey. Unused subs: Pollitt (gk); Taylor, Boyce.

Referee: Rob Styles, Waterlooville, Hampshire.

Bookings

Middlesbrough: None

Wigan Athletic: Heskey, 84, dissent.

Attendance: 22,963

Conditions: Cool, still and clear.

Website Boro Man of the Match: Stewart Downing

Referee

Martin Atkinson, Leeds, West Yorkshire.

It is Mr Atkinson's second time in the middle for a Boro game this season, having been at the Riverside on the opening day of the season. He was in Belarus on Wednesday night taking charge of the 2-2 draw between Bate Borisov and Juventus.

Weather

Heavy rain is forecast, with a maximum temperature of 12 degrees and minimum of 10 and a 12mph south-easterly wind.

Tickets And Travel

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Full coverage of the game is available on Boro World. Right now on Boro World we have exclusive interviews with Gareth Southgate, Afonso Alves, Ross Turnbull, Adam Johnson and Stephen Pears.