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Middlesbrough v Tottenham

Riverside Stadium Sunday 18 December Kick-off: 1330 GMT BBC Radio Five Live Middlesbrough defender Chris Riggott is suspended following his red card at Liverpool last weekend. Mark Schwarzer, Gareth Southgate, Mark Viduka, George Boateng and Aiyegbeni Yakubu are likely to be recalled after being rested against Liteks Lovetch. Tottenham duo boss Mido and Wayne Routledge will both have fitness tests on slight knee ligament strains. Teemu Tainio is a major doubt with a bruised knee, while fellow midfielder Aaron Lennon has a a hamstring strain. Middlesbrough (from): Schwarzer, Jones, Bates, Queudrue, Pogatetz, Southgate, Ehiogu, Wheater, Boateng, Doriva, Morrison, Rochemback, Johnson, Kennedy, Yakubu, Hasselbaink, Viduka, Maccarone. Tottenham (from): Cerny, Robinson, Stalteri, Kelly, Lee, King, Dawson, Naybet, Brown, Davids, Carrick, Reid, Defoe, Keane, Mido, Rasiak, Lennon, Tainio, Jenas, Davis, Mendes, Routledge. Middlesbrough defender Franck Queudrue: "We're at home and we need the win because we have had two straight defeats. "We are 13th at the moment and want to get back into the top half." Tottenham coach Martin Jol: "We've come through a difficult sequence of games in an excellent position. "If we finish above Arsenal, I think we will have done very well. "But I still think the big four clubs will be in the top four spots at the end of the season." BIG-MATCH FACTS MIDDLESBROUGH face the task of putting on the brakes on a resurgent Tottenham, who visit the Riverside bidding for a fourth successive Premiership victory. The Teessiders are in danger of plummeting to a third top flight defeat in a row, having lost at Chelsea and Liverpool without scoring. They also have to conquer another European hangover. This will be 14th Sunday fixture following a Thursday night Uefa Cup match. Only two wins from the previous 13 such fixtures have been victorious, but they will be boosted by their qualification to the last 32 of Europe's second most prestigious club competition. Boro hold the longest sequence without a clean sheet in the Premiership this term of 13 matches. Chelsea went 13 games without a block-out in 1996/97 - the longest such string in that season. But it's a long way from the Premiership record run without a shut-out. That belongs to Wimbledon, who went 26 matches between February and October 1999. Boro are striving for a fourth home win in succession over Spurs, to extend their unbeaten home Premiership sequence against them to eight (four wins, three draws). Last season the Teessiders won the narrowest of victories, courtesy of an 11th minute goal from George Boateng. TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR go to Teesside in search of a second win in a week, following Monday's 3-1 home triumph over Harry Redknapp's Portsmouth. Spurs have picked up 12 points out of 12 - a feat they last achieved a year ago when a five match winning sequence began with a 2-0 eclipse of Middlesbrough at White Hart Lane on 28 November, and concluded with another 2-0 victory at Norwich on Boxing Day. The North Londoners, who've never before accumulated as many as 30 points after the first 16 games of a Premiership season, are pursuing a 20th League victory under Martin Jol. They can boast of being the most resilient side in the highest League, jointly with West Ham. The Portsmouth game was Tottenham's third this season which was won from a losing position. In addition they've fought back to draw after conceding the opener in two other matches, so effectively picking up 11 points from matches in which they were in arrears. They've lost only one of the last seven away League fixtures, but defeat here would be their 200th in the Premier League, and the first goal conceded will be the 5,000th shipped in Tottenham's League history. Spurs made it six points out of six with no goals conceded from their first two games of this season when they beat Middlesbrough 2-0 in the reverse fixture in August. It was the Londoners' second 2-0 victory of the campaign. Jermain Defoe struck a sensational 25-yard drive just after the break, and Mido doubled the lead in the 75th minute. It puts Tottenham on target for a fifth League 'double' over Boro. But would be their first against them in nine years, when incidentally the Londoners last recorded a victory on Teesside, 0-3 on 19 October 1996 - Teddy Sheringham bagging a brace and Ruel Fox the other. REFEREE: Howard Webb (South Yorkshire) SEQUENCES/RECENT FORM MIDDLESBROUGH Club stats Fixtures Going into the weekend: 13th 19 points (all statistics are ahead of this weekend's round of Premiership fixtures) Not suffered three top flight defeats on the spin since between 17 April and 2 May last year, when Wolves (a), Villa (h) and Liverpool (a) all defeated Boro. Won only one of five Premiership matches (3-2, home to Fulham on 20 November). Not scored in two, or in 204 minutes (three hours 24 minutes) of top League soccer since Yakubu netted their second in the 2-2 draw with West Brom at the Riverside on 27 November. Gone 13 matches since a clean sheet in the top tier (0-3 at Birmingham on 23 August). Kept one clean sheet in the last 15 League outings. Played 15 League matches since a goalless draw (home to Liverpool on the opening day, 13 August). Conceded more Premier League goals in stoppage time than any other club (four). Used more players in Premiership matches this season than any other club (26). Scored 12 goals and conceded 12 in seven home League matches this season. Unbeaten in four home League games, beating Manchester United and Fulham, and drawing with Portsmouth and West Brom. Lost one of the last six home League matches. Scored in each of the last four home League clashes. Failed to score in one of the last six Premiership games at the Riverside. Not recorded a clean sheet in seven home League engagements, since a goalless draw with Liverpool on the opening day. TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR Club stats Fixtures Going into the weekend: 4th 30 points (all statistics are ahead of this weekend's round of Premiership fixtures) Won the last three against Wigan (1-2 a), Sunderland (3-2 h) and Portsmouth (3-1 h). Won six of the last 10 Premiership matches. Lost one of the last 12 League games. The 1-0 defeat at Bolton on 7 November is the only time Spurs had failed to score in 11 Premier League encounters. Gone 29 Premiership matches since conceding more than two goals in a match (3-1 defeat at Bolton on 1 February). Gone 11 Premiership matches since a no score draw (home to Liverpool on 10 September). Completed 12 top flight matches since a loss by more than a single goal. Failed to score in one of the last 11 top tier encounters. Conceded one goal in each of the last seven matches, with the exception of the home clash with Sunderland when two were shipped. Kept one clean sheet in nine League engagements. Lost only one Premiership match on the road (1-0 at Bolton in last away game on 7 November). Failed to hit the back of the net in only one League clash on the road this term (at Bolton). KEY PLAYER NOTES/POTENTIAL MILESTONES MIDDLESBROUGH Squad profiles Jimmy Floyd HASSELBAINK is a one shy of scoring 150 goals for English clubs - that's ahead of the Uefa Cup tie with Liteks Lovech. Mark VIDUKA needs a hat trick to complete 100 goals in English and Scottish League football. Suspended: Chris RIGGOTT TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR Squad profiles MIDO has scored three goals in his last four Premiership games. Jermain DEFOE has netted two goals in his last three Premiership appearances against Middlesbrough. LAST SEASON'S CORRESPONDING GAME: Middlesbrough 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur 7 May 2005 - Ref: Dermot Gallagher Middlesbough scorer: Boateng 11 THIS SEASON'S REVERSE FIXTURE: Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Middlesbrough 20 August 2005 - Ref: Martin Atkinson Spurs scorers: Defoe 49, Mido 75 HEAD TO HEAD TOTALS League: Middlesbro 32 wins, Spurs 24, Draws 17 Prem: Middlesbro 8 wins, Spurs 6, Draws 7 HEAD TO HEAD at Middlesbro League: Middlesbro 22 wins, Spurs 5, Draws 9 Prem: Middlesbro 5 wins, Spurs 2, Draws 3