Middlesbrough will be looking to put the stresses of a Premier League relegation fight to one side as they welcome League One outfit Oxford United to the Riverside in the last 16 of the FA Cup.

The winner of this match will be one round away from a semi-final trip to Wembley, but contrasting seasons mean it may be the visitors who have more focus on the task at hand.

Safely in mid-table in the third tier but seven points from the play-off positions, the cup presents an opportunity for the U's to make a further impression after knocking Newcastle United out in the previous round.

Team news

Boro fans will be hopeful of seeing a return to the starting eleven for Gaston Ramirez after injury and a transfer request have seen him left out in recent weeks.

New signing Adlene Guedioura is unavailable after featuring in the same competition for Watford this season and Antonio Barragan is out injured, but George Friend could also be in line for a return having suffered an injury in the previous round.

Sam Long and Christian Ribeiro are out for Oxford but, with no new injuries for manager Michael Appleton to contend with, defender Joe Skarz may return after illness.

Head-to-head

These sides have met 26 times in the past but this will be the first time this millennium, with the last clashes coming in the league in the 1997/98 season - when Boro won 4-1 home and away.

The two sides' current form could not be more starkly different. Oxford have won five of their last six in all competitions, while Boro's only wins of 2017 so far have come in the FA Cup against Sheffield Wednesday and Accrington Stanley.

Karanka: Good chance in 'amazing' FA Cup

Home manager Aitor Karanka is under no illusions as to the difficulty of this FA Cup tie, pointing to their struggles in the previous round in an effort to focus his players.

"I have always said every competition is important," Karanka said in his pre-match press conference. "We always try to do our best in every competition, it'll be a tough game on Saturday.

"We had an experience in the last round thinking it would be an easy game but we found it tough against Accrington, and our opponent beat Newcastle in the last round.

"We want to win this game as the FA Cup is an amazing competition and we're in a good position to keep going."

Appleton: Boro won't underestimate us

Meanwhile, his opposite number Appleton has conceded that his side will have to be at their best to come away with anything against a team he notes are notoriously difficult to score against.

“We know that if we don’t give them the respect that they deserve we will get a right hiding on the day," he said. "But I don’t think Aitor Karanka and the Middlesbrough lads will underestimate us at all.

"I think the fact that we went up against Rotherham and Newcastle in the previous rounds and did ever so well in the FA Cup last year means they’ve done their homework and will be ready for us.”

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About the author
Sam France
Former Deputy Editor-in-Chief and Features Editor at VAVEL UK, part of the VAVEL team 2014-2018.