Middlesbrough win a 50-50 in midfield, and the ball breaks to Lewis Wing in the centre circle.

He slides a pass in behind the Blues defensive line, which is up high, but Chuba Akpom is offside.

Nice idea though.

Birmingham try to get in behind through Jeremie Bela, who is a positive outlet.

The ball is fed into the box but it's bashed away by Dael Fry.

Blues enjoying a bright start.

Hope that's not a tonesetter. Long ball whacked long by Boro, sails out of play for a goal-kick.

Really like Boro's aggressive approach in midfield of late. Ratting about and shutting down space.

Huddles complete. Last words said.

Referee Darren England shrills on his whistle, and play at a near-empty Riverside but for the two sets of staff and subs is underway.

Middlesbrough get us under way.

Weird to hear Pigbag rattling around an empty Riverside.

Always gets the blood pumping.

Just a word on the Birmingham kit... green tops, black shorts? Not a fan of that, personally.

Middlesbrough can at least temporarily move into the top six with a win here. They've got four wins in the past five league games and a solid defensive unit.

Birmingham are just four points above the bottom three. We've already talked about their run - no win in seven and six losses in that time.

Three of the Blues five wins have been on the road though... what a fillip it would be for Aitor Karanka to win up here.

Middlesbrough boss Neil Warnock says he doesn't know what to expect from his players after coronavirus took its toll on the squad. Paddy McNair lines up at centre-half, truly a versatile part of Warnock's squad - seemingly can play anywhere.

Birmingham make five changes with Maxime Colin and Scott Hogan among them. It's also a return to former club for George Friend, Adam Clayton and Lukas Jutkiewicz.

Middlesbrough: Bettinelli, Dijksteel, Fry, McNair, Bola, Saville, Morsy, Johnson, Wing, Tavernier, Akpom

Subs: Archer, Spence, Wood, Coulson, Howson, Hackney, Watmore, Roberts, Assombalonga

Birmingham: Etheridge, Colin, San Jose, Dean, Friend, Sunjic, Kieftenbeld, Sanchez, Toral, Bela, Hogan

Subs: Prieto, Pedersen, Dacres-Cogley, Roberts, Clarke-Salter, Clayton, Halilovic, Leko, Jutkiewicz

Image source, Getty Images

What of Aitor, the one time saviour of the New Holgate End?

He spent a year at Nottingham Forest, where he was unable to truly deliver on his task before departing, and now is at Birmingham.

It's been a tough season of late for Karanka, since taking over at the start of the season. There was an initial mixed start, followed by a really difficult run. No wins in seven, six of those defeats.

The reverse fixture of this was a 4-1 defeat within that run. Something needs to break for Blues, if they are to avoid another miserable afternoon.

Image source, Getty Images

Boro's relegation from the Premier League prompted a new approach, but the appointments of Garry Monk, Tony Pulis and even club hero Jonathan Woodgate failed to bring about a change in fortunes.

The cut in budget as forced by Financial Fair Play regulations had trimmed the wage bill, and the opportunity to splash the cash. They needed something different.

Up stepped veteran Neil Warnock. Talk about an immediate impact.

Warnock kept Boro up last season, sorting out the defence and structure, and on that tightly-managed budget has steered the Teessiders to a place among the promotion hopefuls.

Finally, there is optimism in this part of the north east once again.

Image source, Getty Images

Middlesbrough fans have taken a while to get over the departure of Aitor Karanka, the boss who led them to promotion from the Premier League in 2016.

The Spaniard, who had worn the colours of Real Madrid, had a side drilled to defend in his own image, anchored by solid midfielders like Adam Clayton and Grant Leadbitter, yet allied that with the silky flair of Gaston Ramirez.

It worked. They reached the play-off final before losing to Norwich and then completed the job with automatic promotion the following season.

Their Premier League adventure lacked the excitement of their promotion push, and before the season could be completed Karanka was gone.

Hello there, welcome to our Saturday afternoon coverage of the EFL and all its glory.

We're here for the long-run today, all the way through to the evening kick-off between Barnsley and Swansea...

But, it all kicks off with a chilly lunchtime trip to the Riverside for Middlesbrough against Birmingham City.

There's been a lot of water under the bridge for one particular Spanish individual but still, returning to Teesside brings with it plenty of memories.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

With a cold snap dousing many of us in snow over recent days, paths and roads left precariously slippery by sheet ice, and pitches struggling to thaw - football has had even more than a global coronavirus pandemic to deal with this past week.

Thankfully most games seem to have survived the deluge of the white stuff, as the troublesome flakes start to melt.

On we go.