Captain Louis Carey and winger Michael McIndoe are expected to be sidelined for Bristol City's FA Cup third-round tie against Middlesbrough.Carey has missed the last three matches with an Achilles problem, but despite returning to training this week the defender is unlikely to recover sufficiently.

McIndoe missed the New Year's Day defeat of Coventry after suffering with dizziness and a sore neck, a problem which has persisted and he has yet to resume training.

Striker Steve Brooker is edging nearer to his first taste of football after recovering from a knee operation which has kept him out so far this season.

It is the second successive year that City have been drawn against Middlesbrough in the FA Cup after the two sides met at the fourth round stage last season.

The 2-2 draw at Ashton Gate was repeated in the replay at the Riverside Stadium before the Premier League side scraped through 5-4 on penalties.

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