Middlesbrough manager Tony Mowbray will await news on a series of injury doubts before naming his team for the Championship clash.
Midfielders Josh McEachran and Kevin Thomson and strikers Ishmael Miller and Muzzy Carayol are all being assessed ahead of the game.
McEachran returned from England Under-21 duty early with a thigh injury, while Thomson is continuing his recovery from a calf problem.
Miller damaged an ankle in the 3-1 league defeat at Millwall on September 1 and Carayol emerged from the 2-0 Capital One Cup second round victory at Gillingham four days earlier with a knee problem.
Striker Lukas Jutkiewicz is working his way back to full fitness after knee surgery and midfielder Nicky Bailey is targeting a return from a hamstring injury before the end of the month, but defender Rhys Williams is likely to be out until January after undergoing an ankle operation.
Carlos Edwards is set to make a welcome return for the journey.
Right-back Edwards missed Town's 2-2 draw against Huddersfield - their last fixture before the international break - with a groin injury but has used the two weeks to recover sufficiently and will likely start at the Riverside.
Fellow defender Tommy Smith has returned unscathed from a double-header with New Zealand and manager Paul Jewell will ensure tiredness is not a factor before making his team selection.
Midfielder Guirane N'Daw is yet to feature for Town following his loan move but could well get his chance to shine this weekend.
N'Daw showed promise for the club's Under-21 side last week, a game which also saw the return of fit-again full-back Elliott Hewitt following his hip problems. Hewitt could now possibly make the matchday 18 for the first time since his summer switch.
