Boro will come up against nearly £200m worth of talent tomorrow after Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini pledged to field a “strong team” in the FA Cup showdown.
The Premier League champions are wounded from last weekend’s 2-0 reverse to Arsenal, and with a title showdown with Chelsea in eight days time, the visit of Boro will be seen as perfect preparation.
Aitor Karanka takes in-form Boro to the Etihad Stadium hopeful of springing an upset, but will come up against a City side packed with Premier League and international experience.
“Of course there are always opportunities for players to impress and stake a claim for a place but we are playing on Saturday and not in midweek and we will have a full week to recover before we play Chelsea,” Pellegrini told the club’s website.
“So with that in mind, I will try and put out the strongest team I can. (Boro) are well organised and don’t concede many goals, so unless we play with 100% intensity and concentration we will find it difficult to progress into the next round of the FA Cup.”
But how do the likely line-ups compare in terms of transfer costs? We take a look below.
Goalkeeper: Willy Caballero - £4.4m, Dimi Konstantopoulos £0 (free)
City are expected to rest Joe Hart for tomorrow’s match, meaning summer signing Caballero will start in goal. Manuel Pellegrini recruited the Argentine from Malaga, and he played in City’s FA Cup third round win over Sheffield Wednesday.
© CameraSport 
Dimi Konstantopoulos
Dimi Konstantopoulos moved to Boro in August 2013 after a two-year spell at AEK Athens. The experienced Greek also made more than 100 appearances for Hartlepool United between 2003 and 2007.
Right-back: Pablo Zabaleta - £6.45m, Tomas Kalas £0 (loan)
Man City’s inspirational defender Pablo Zabaleta arrived at the club in 2008 under Mark Hughes. The price tag to bring him to the Etihad Stadium from Espanyol appears to be great business.
Boro hope to have Tomas Kalas fit for tomorrow’s FA Cup match, with the Czech international becoming the latest Chelsea youngster to arrive at the Riverside on loan last month.
Centre-back Vincent Kompany - £6m, Ben Gibson £0 (Academy graduate)
Vincent Kompany has proved to be City’s captain fantastic on more than one occasion since arriving in 2008 from Hamburg.
Meanwhile Ben Gibson’s rise has been a spectacular one, cementing down a first-team place this season after previous loan spells at Plymouth, York City and Tranmere.
Centre back: Eliaquim Mangala - £32m, Kenneth Omeruo £0 (loan)
As an expensive summer recruit from Porto, Eliaquim Mangala was expected to hit the ground running this season - but has struggled to adapt to English football so far. Martin Demichelis is Pellegrini’s preferred option, but the Frenchman should get his chance tomorrow.
Kenneth Omeruo is enjoying a second season at the Riverside, after the Chelsea loanee’s form last year earned him a World Cup call-up with Nigeria. This season the form of Daniel Ayala and Gibson means Ken has struggled to nail down a starting spot.
Left-back: Alexander Kolarov - £16m, George Friend £250,000
July 2010 saw Serbian defender Alexander Kolarov sign for Man City from Lazio, and he’s been a deadly weapon at left-back ever since. He is now battling it out with Gael Clichy for the starting shirt.
Gorgeous George has been a revelation for Boro since his arrival from Doncaster Rovers in July 2012. His value has increased hugely after dazzling on Teesside.
Centre midfield: Fernando - £12m, Grant Leadbitter £0 (free)
Midfield battler Fernando was signed from Porto this summer but has yet to take off in the blue of Man City.
Boro’s skipper was an inspired free signing in May 2012 after his contract at Ipswich ran out, and is the team’s top scorer this season.
Centre midfield: Fernandinho - £30m, Adam Clayton £1.5m
City’s Brazilian destroyer was an expensive recruit from Ukrainian champions Shakhtar Donetsk in June 2013, and last season formed a formidable partnership with talisman Yaya Toure.
Meanwhile Boro’s midfield general arrived from Huddersfield this summer for a modest fee, with Jacob Butterfield going in the opposite direction.
Right wing: Jesus Navas - £14.9m, Albert Adomah £1m
The lively winger was part of the Sevilla team that beat Boro in the 2006 UEFA Cup final, and has since gone on to become a star for both Spain and City.
Ghanian winger Albert Adomah was recruited in the summer of 2013 from Bristol City, and has been a virtual ever-present so far this season.
Left wing: James Milner - £26m, Adam Reach £0 (free)
England international James Milner may not be the most eyecatching of Man City’s stars but he has been a regular under every manager since his arrival from Aston Villa in August 2010.
Adam Reach joined Boro’s Academy from Gateshead College three years ago and went on to enjoy loan spells with Darlington, Shrewsbury, and Bradford. He has deservedly broken into Boro’s first-team this campaign.
Attacking midfield: David Silva - £24m, Lee Tomlin £1.5m
The Spanish magician has been a revelation for the Premier League champions since his move from Valenica in July 2010. The danger man for Boro tomorrow.
Meanwhile Lee Tomlin’s Teesside stay began initially on loan 12 months ago, and the front man sealed a permanent deal from Peterborough United in the summer.
Striker: Edin Dzeko - £27m, Patrick Bamford £0 (loan)
Bosnian striker Edin Dzeko became a Man City hero as he headed Roberto Mancini’s team level with QPR in May 2012, before Sergio Aguero’s dramatic title-winning strike. Has found first-team opportunities more limited this time around.
The third of Boro’s Stamford Bridge loanees, Patrick Bamford continues to terrorise Championship defences this time around. A big future awaits for the England Under-21s star.
TOTAL: Man City: £198,750,000, Boro: £4,250,000
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