Middlesbrough vs Tottenham, Premier League 2016/17: Where to watch, preview and betting odds

KEY POINTS

Aitor Karanka and Mauricio Pochettino took their coaching badges together at Madrid.
Tottenham are unbeaten in the Premierr League thus far this season.

Tottenham Hotspur travel to the Riverside Stadium to take on Middlesbrough in the Premier League on Saturday (24 September).

Where to Watch

Kick-off is at 3 pm BST. There is no live TV coverage of the game. Catch the highlights on Match of the Day at 10.30 pm BST on BBC One.

Overview

Tottenham will travel to the Riverside Stadium to take on Premier League new comers Middlesbrough on Saturday as they look to continue their winning run. They have won three of their last four games in all competitions with their latest being a 5-0 win over Gillingham in the EFL Cup.

Mauricio Pochettino, however, will be without Harry Kane for the trip to Middlesbrough after the striker picked up an ankle injury during the win against Sunderland. The English striker is expected to miss at least two months after damaging ligaments in his ankle. Vincent Janssen is available to the Argentine manager, but is yet to capture the form he showed last season in the Eredivisie.

Tottenham are one of three unbeaten sides in the Premier League and Aitor Karanka will hope to pull off an upset and register Middlesbrough's second win of the season. The Riverside Stadium have only faced one side from the top six this season, which was Everton in their previous Premier League clash. However, Tottenham will pose a much bigger threat and Middlesbrough will face an uphill task to overcome the north London club despite the absence of their top marksman.

Karanka and Pochettino share a close bond after playing against each other in the La Liga for ten seasons, and also taking their coaching badges together in Madrid. The Middlesbrough manager admitted that he is looking forward to seeing the Argentine, but made it clear that they will not be friends during the 90 minutes when their teams are playing against each other on the pitch.

What Managers Say

Mauricio Pochettino [on Janssen starting]: We'll see what happens tomorrow. It's a great opportunity for him [Janssen] to start tomorrow, maybe, and help the team," Pochettino told his pre-match news conference. It's not only his responsibility now, it's always a team responsibility. He needs to feel free to play, to try to help the team now.

Aitor Karanka [on Harry Kane absence]: I think we would miss Alvaro [Negredo] more than they will miss Harry Kane," Karanka told his pre-match press conference. They have really good players and much more players to play. They have an amazing squad. Mauricio will put in another player - maybe not as good as Harry Kane - but the player who plays will be very motivated because he has his chance,

Betting Odds (betfair)