Manchester City vs. Middlesbrough: Time, Live Stream, TV Info, FA Cup Preview

Middlesbrough will travel to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday to take on defending Premier League champions Manchester City in the fourth round of the FA Cup. Kick-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. GMT.

Fans and pundits have been talking about the legendary 8-1 win for Boro back in 2008, but the Championship club has since fallen on some hard times. The club currently sits second and finally looks ready to return to the Premier League, and they will be getting a taste of top-flight action on Saturday.

City haven't been at their best in 2015 and will have to do without Yaya Toure and Wilfried Bony, who are both away on AFCON duties. While the Citizens will undoubtedly be favourites, this particular fourth-round clash has some serious upset potential.

Date: Saturday, January 24

Time: 3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. ET

Venue: Etihad Stadium, Manchester

TV info and live stream: The match will be broadcast on FOX Sports 1 (for U.S. viewers) with mobile coverage available via FOX Soccer 2Go. British fans can listen in on the match via BBC radio.

Preview

Jan Kruger/Getty Images

Middlesbrough are coming into the match unbeaten in 2015, having won three of their last five matches and sitting just one point behind Championship leaders Bournemouth. They've conceded just 18 goals in league play this season, by far the best defensive record in the Championship, according to BBC Sport.

There's a lot of optimism surrounding the club and their blue-collar approach to the game, having built a squad around homegrown talent and a healthy work ethic. Goalkeeper Dimitrios Konstantopoulos is confident in the club's chances, as shared by the FA's official Twitter feed:

The Citizens are winless in their last two matches, a 1-1 draw against Everton and a 2-0 loss against Arsenal. In both matches, creativity in the final third and a lack of an in-form scorer held the squad back, and the absence of Toure was clearly felt.

The Ivorian is a pivotal part of Manuel Pellegrini's squad, bringing a physical edge in midfield and often scoring vital goals. As shared by Squawka Football, it's no coincidence City's record without him looks pedestrian at best:

Middlesbrough are not a Premier League side, and in terms of sheer quality, the Citizens obviously hold the advantage. Pellegrini and his men are so confident of winning the match, they initially planned to extend their training camp in Dubai until Saturday, via Bromley FC coach Hugo Langton:

Those plans have changed, however, and for the better. The match against Boro will be no laughing matter, with Sergio Aguero still finding his form, Samir Nasri missing the match against Arsenal due to injury and Frank Lampard also not available, per ESPN FC's Ben Dinnery:

Middlesbrough know their biggest strength lies in defence, so expect the visitors to key in on City's attackers and attempt to take advantage of a lack of physical presence in the centre of the pitch to force the ball wide.

City can cross the ball, but they're far better when they get to use their pace and feed the ball to David Silva, who remains the creative heart of the team.

If the full-backs have to move too far up the pitch, the hosts become susceptible to swift counter-attacks, something Arsenal took full advantage of.

Boro will attempt to do the same, but with the gap in pure quality remaining substantial, I still expect City to pull through in a hard-fought battle.

Final prediction: Manchester City 2-1 Middlesbrough

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