Middlesbrough prospect eyed by former Champions League winners, Blackburn set for defender talks

Middlesbrough are back in action this weekend, when they play host to Luton Town on Saturday afternoon.

The two sides were both in FA Cup action earlier in the week, with Boro securing a famous win over Spurs to progress to this evening's quarter-final draw, while the Hatters lost a 3-2 thriller to Champions League holders Chelsea.

Back in the league, Middlesbrough are just two points off the play-off places, while their opponents are sitting in sixth place. The result of the game, therefore, could go a long way in deciding whether either of the two sides secures a top six finish by the end of the season.

Speaking after the shock victory over Spurs, Boro boss Chris Wilder said: “A home draw would be nice, you're not fussy though.

“We’re in the quarter final of the FA Cup. We’ve gone deep into the competition. We’ve had a couple of fabulous nights and I quite enjoyed the third round against Mansfield where that was a different type of game to Old Trafford and tonight.

“To get to the quarter finals, you’ve got to go through different obstacles, hurdles and different challenges and that (Mansfield) was a huge challenge for us on that day coming off the back of the Covid situation locally and the team that we picked to go through.

“Then to go to Old Trafford and beat Tottenham. We are deep in the competition now."

Take a look at the latest news and transfer stories from the second tier, ahead of another busy midweek packed with fixtures:

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.