It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows as Middlesbrough took on rivals Sunderland in their previous fixture – not only did they lose, one of Boro’s top defenders received a red card and they lost the Teeside Derby 2-0. Here we take a look the Middlesbrough Injury news ahead of Watford clash

Dael Fry has been one of Middlesbrough’s better centre backs this year – but due to his suspension, he will miss out on their game against Watford on Saturday, January 28 at the Riverside Stadium.

Fry is Boro’s only suspended player, but they also have two more who will most likely miss out due to injury. The first is Anfernee Dijksteel, who has been out since December with a knee injury. He isn’t expected to be available for the Watford game, but could return to the squad in early February.

Additionally, Matt Clarke will also miss out on the game on Saturday due to his ongoing back problem. This injury has kept him out of action since early October – as of the time of writing, he has no set return date, but is thought to be making positive progress.

Darragh Lenihan returned from his foot injury against Sunderland, which was something of a surprise, as he was expected to miss out on that game. He also played the full 90 minutes, indicating that he is back to full fitness.

Former Manchester United legend and briefly interim manager, Michael Carrick, is fully in charge at Boro and now that he has turned things around at the Riverside will be looking to right the ship vs Watford and may even have an eye on securing a loan signing or two from his former club as the Old Trafford academy has a wealth of riches.

Watford are a tough proposition under Slaven Bilic and will be battling Boro and others for a playoff spot as they look to bounce right back into the Premier League after relegation. Carrick will be looking for former Arsenal man Chuba Akpom to do the business for him in front of goal.