Rav van den Berg and Ben Doak Middlesbrough absence vs Coventry City explained

Middlesbrough boss Carrick reveals illness and injury reasons behind duo's squad omission

Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick has confirmed that Rav van den Berg and Ben Doak will miss the club's Championship clash with Coventry City due to illness and injury respectively.

Van den Berg, on loan from Liverpool, has been a key player for Middlesbrough this season, making 22 appearances in all competitions. However, he has been struggling with an illness this week and will not be available for selection.

Doak, also on loan from Liverpool, has made a promising start to his Middlesbrough career, scoring twice in his first four appearances. However, he picked up a knock in training this week and will also miss the Coventry game.

Carrick said: "Rav has been ill all week, so he won't be available for the game. Ben picked up a knock in training, so he's also out.

"It's a blow to lose two players of their quality, but we have a strong squad and we're confident we can get a good result against Coventry."

Middlesbrough are currently 10th in the Championship table, while Coventry are 16th. The two sides meet at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday, February 25.