MICHAEL CARRICK has made two changes to his Middlesbrough side for this afternoon's home game with Southampton.

Jonny Howson and Isaiah Jones return to the starting line-up after being on the substitutes' bench for the midweek draw with Sheffield Wednesday.

The pair replace Lukas Engel and Sammy Silvera, who drop down to the bench as Boro look to secure their first league win of the season against a Southampton side that have lost their last three games.

With Engel dropping out of the starting side, it looks as though summer signing Lewis O'Brien could be repositioned to play at left-back.

Howson will partner Hayden Hackney in central midfield, with Isaiah Jones and Riley McGree expected to play on either side of Matt Crooks in the attacking-midfield positions.

For the second game in a row, Josh Coburn gets the nod to lead the line ahead of summer signing Emmanuel Latte Lath, who is named on the bench.


MIDDLESBROUGH (4-2-3-1): Dieng; van den Berg, Fry, Lenihan, O'Brien; Howson, Hackney; Jones, Crooks, McGree; Coburn.

Subs: Glover, Smith, Barlaser, Latte Lath, Rogers, McNair, Silvera, Engel, Greenwood.

SOUTHAMPTON (3-4-3): Bazunu; Holgate, Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek; Walker-Peters, Charles, Downes, Smallbone; A Armstrong, Adams, Fraser.

Subs: McCarthy, Bree, Manning, S Armstrong, Alcaraz, Aribo, Kamaldeen, Edozie, Mara.