Our match pack for Middlesbrough v Manchester City includes team news, statistics, manager quotes, odds & our prediction.
The game kicks off at 1405 BST at the Riverside Stadium.
Middlesbrough v Manchester City: Manager quotes
Steve Agnew (Middlesbrough)
On Pep Guardiola: "I've admired Pep for many, many years," Agnew said."I used to watch and analyse his teams when he was at Barcelona. I've nothing but admiration for him.
"I watched the Manchester United game last night and as a coach it's just the same as the players - that's my direct competition and it would be great to put one over him.
"They (Barcelona) were just amazing, the way that they passed the ball. They were a possession-based team but with lots of creativity, lots of movement and talented, talented players that could score goals.
"When you come into a different country it is different, and England's different to Spain and different to Germany. He's a top, top coach and I'm sure he will become successful at Manchester City."
On beating Sunderland: "That's where the players certainly get the confidence and belief from - winning football matches.
"We have to remember that it's been a long time since we last won a Premier League game, four months, so I'm confident the players will be in a much better place.
"We know the situation that we're in and we know we have to win more matches but it definitely puts us in a better place at the moment."
Pep Guardiola (Manchester City)
On Gabriel Jesus: We saw in his first game against Tottenham his impact in eight minutes. We saw on Thursday after three months out, in five minutes he created two chances and (scored) one goal - (but) for one centimetre it was no goal.
"I would like to know what would have happened in many games when we missed chances because he has this instinct in the box.
"Now we are so happy he is back and next season he will be there with us.
"You cannot compete all the season against big teams like Chelsea, Tottenham and Liverpool, and big teams in Europe, with our squad.
"Gabriel is a number nine from Brazil and is a guy everybody knows how special he is. And hopefully next season, what we are going to try to get in the team is going to help us (even) more."
On the 0-0 draw against Manchester United: "I'm pretty sure United came here to try to win the game. I think I never met one team, one opponent, one player who start to play a game thinking we're not going to win the game.
"We have tried to monopolise the ball, a little bit Latin style. We played to win the game, we were not able. It's one point and the big fight will be on until the Watford game.
"I'm not here to judge what my opponents want to do, it would not be respectful.
"We made absolutely everything, not just in the last few minutes of 10 v 11. We tried but it was not enough again."
Middlesbrough v Manchester City: Team news
Middlesbrough have doubts over Daniel Ayala, Victor Valdes and Grant Leadbitter ahead of their contest with Manchester City on Sunday.
Defender Ayala was withdrawn in the win over Sunderland in midweek having twisted his ankle and is rated as doubtful, as are goalkeeper Valdes (ribs) and midfielder Leadbitter (hamstring) - both of whom were not in the squad on Wednesday.
Boro do have Gaston Ramirez available again following the suspension he served for his dismissal against Bournemouth.
Manchester City are likely to be without Claudio Bravo after the goalkeeper suffered a calf injury against Manchester United on Thursday.
There are fears the Chilean may not play again this season, meaning a probable return for Willy Caballero.Uncertainty remains over playmaker David Silva (hamstring) and centre-back John Stones (leg) but right-back Bacary Sagna is fit again.
Striker Gabriel Jesus, a late substitute against United after more than two months out with a broken foot, will hope to step up his comeback.
Teams
Middlesbrough (from): Guzan, Konstantopoulos, Barragan, Friend, Fabio, Chambers, Gibson, Espinosa, Ayala, Husband, Fry, De Roon, Clayton, Forshaw, Leadbitter, Guedioura, Downing, Ramirez, Stuani, Traore, Fischer, Negredo, Gestede, Bamford.
Manchester City (from): Caballero, Gunn, Zabaleta, Sagna, Otamendi, Kompany, Stones, Clichy, Kolarov, Toure, Fernando, Fernandinho, Delph, Garcia, De Bruyne, Silva, Sterling, Sane, Nolito, Navas, Aguero, Jesus, Iheanacho.
Middlesbrough v Manchester City: Our prediction
Our Nick Hext writes... Manchester City, like rivals United, face a quick turnaround for Sunday’s trip north to Middlesbrough.
I anticipate a straightforward task for City despite Wednesday night’s 1-0 victory over Sunderland ending a nine-match winless run for Boro.
The Riverside Stadium outfit are six points adrift of fourth-bottom Hull with only four games of the season remaining.
It’s simply too little too late for Steve Agnew’s side.
They face City (H), Chelsea (A), Southampton (H) and Liverpool (A) to finish the campaign and it’s very tough to see them getting the six points required to catch up with Hull, presuming the Tigers manage to lose all of their remaining games.
City remain one point ahead of Manchester United in the race for a top-four finish after Thursday night’s 0-0 derby draw so there’s no stepping off the gas from Pep Guardiola’s men.
The Citizens knocked Middlesbrough out of the FA Cup with a 2-0 win at the Riverside six weeks ago and I expect this match to follow a similar story.
Boro just don’t have the attacking talent to compete in the Premier League and that’s been seen with only four goals netted in their last 10 outings.
The decision to part company with manager Aitor Karanka was taken far too late in the season and Agnew was always up against it to turn things around despite trying harder than his predecessor to make use of the meagre attacking talent at his disposal.
Backing City to win to nil is obviously tempting but I’m wary of Boro being forced to use more attacking intent then in their limp displays earlier in the campaign.
Boro have netted in defeats against Arsenal and Manchester United during Agnew’s reign so I’ll take a swerve on the City clean sheet, although I certainly don’t fancy the hosts’ chances of victory.
They have only managed to beat Sunderland, Sheffield Wednesday, Oxford and Accrington this year. City are certainly a vast step up in quality from that opposition and can push Boro to the brink of relegation.
Prediction: Middlesbrough 1-2 Manchester City
Middlesbrough v Manchester City: Opta facts
Middlesbrough have lost only one of their 10 Premier League matches at home to Manchester City (W7 D2 L1), including an 8-1 demolition of the Citizens in May 2008.
Manchester City have won three of their last five meetings with Middlesbrough in all competitions (D1 L1), including in the FA Cup in January (2-0).
Sergio Aguero has scored in both games against Middlesbrough in all competitions this season.
Aguero comes in to this game having attempted nine shots without scoring in the midweek Manchester derby – equalling his own personal record for the most without a goal in a Premier League appearance.
Manchester City have already won more away games this season (11) than in any previous Premier League season, and a point in this match would set a new away points record in a single PL campaign for the club (currently 34 – the same as in 2011-12, 2013-14 and 2014-15).
Middlesbrough won their midweek Premier League game against bottom of the league side Sunderland (1-0) – they haven’t followed up any of their previous 11 wins in the competition with another victory.
The last time that Middlesbrough picked up back-to-back Premier League victories within the same season was in May 2008, with the second of those games being an 8-1 win over Manchester City at the Riverside Stadium.
The Riverside Stadium has seen the fewest goals scored (33) and the fewest shots on target attempted (109) of any Premier League ground in 2016-17.
Manchester City have won just two of their last seven Premier League matches (W2 D4 L1).
Manchester City have lost just one of their last 20 Premier League fixtures against a team in the relegation zone on the day of that match (W12 D7 L1).
Middlesbrough v Manchester City: Sky Bet odds
Manchester City are Sky Bet’s 2/7 favourites for the victory with Middlesbrough 9/1 despite home advantage and 9/2 just to secure a draw. Even longer odds are stacked against Steve Agnew’s men to avoid the drop, with Sky Bet giving them a 100/1 chance of staying up, while City are 13/2 to miss out on a top-four finish. Sergio Aguero (5/2) just edges Gabriel Jesus (11/4) in the first goalscorer betting while Alvaro Negredo (8/1) is considered the hosts’ main threat.
Click for Sky Bet's Middlesbrough v Man City odds!