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ASTON VILLA v MIDDLESBROUGH TEAM NEWS AND MATCH FACTS
Aston Villa will be without striker Kevin Phillips, right-back Aaron Hughes and midfielder Lee Hendrie with calf, hernia and knee problems respectively.
Milan Baros has recovered from an Achilles problem and should return for Villa.
Boro hope Mark Viduka will be available after missing the 0-0 draw with Xanthi because of an Achilles injury.
But Mark Schwarzer, Ugo Ehiogu and Ray Parlour are all out.
Aston Villa (from): Sorensen, Taylor, Samuel, Mellberg, Ridgewell, Cahill, Bouma, Milner, Berger, Bakke, Davis, De La Cruz, Djemba-Djemba, Barry, Baros, Angel, Moore.
Middlesbrough (from): Jones, Knight, Xavier, Queudrue, Pogatetz, Southgate, Riggott, Parnaby, Bates, Doriva, Boateng, Rochemback, Mendieta, Morrison, Johnson, Kennedy, Hasselbaink, Yakubu, Viduka, Maccarone.
Villa defend their unbeaten home Premiership record against an inconsistent Middlesbrough. It's the Midlanders first outing since becoming the only League team to pierce the Chelsea defence this season, and Boro's first top flight encounter since last Sunday's embarrassing home defeat to rock bottom Sunderland. Victory for the home side would see them leapfrog us in the top table.
David O'Leary's side have won only one of the last 12 Premiership fixtures, but have only lost one of the last eight at home.
Villa have lost one of 11 home League meetings with the Teessiders. Last Saturday's scorer against Chelsea, Luke Moore, netted the first Aston Villa goal of his career to secure the points in last season's home fixture with Middlesbrough, after Danish defender Martin Laursen had broken the deadlock. It was a game of instantly forgettable football.
Boro return to League business after success in Europe, and a vote of confidence for manager Steve McClaren from chairman Steve Gibson. Boro are eager to improve on a record of just one win from matches played immediately following a Thursday night UEFA Cup contest, of which there have been nine covering last season and this. The one victory incidentally was 3-0, home to Villa, on 18 December last year.
Both clubs go into this clash with a draw and a defeat from their last two Premiership fixtures. Boro's only Premiership victory at Villa Park was 0-2 on 8 November 2003, when Boudewijn Zenden scored and Michael Ricketts converted a penalty.
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