Middlesbrough v Doncaster preview

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Middlesbrough striker Scott McDonald could return for the final Championship game of the season.

The Australia international has missed the last two games with a hamstring injury but manager Tony Mowbray is hopeful his top scorer will be available as the Teessiders sign off in front of their own fans.

However, Argentinian midfielder Julio Arca will not be involved having been allowed to travel home to undergo surgery for a knee cartilage problem.

Defender Matthew Bates missed Monday’s 3-0 win at Cardiff with an Achilles injury and remains a doubt while striker Marvin Emnes picked up a dead leg in South Wales and midfielder Barry Robson has a calf strain.

Merouane Zemmama and Andrew Davies (both hamstring), Joe Bennett (illness), Danny Coyne (hand surgery), Seb Hines (broken jaw) and Nicky Bailey (ankle ligaments) are all ruled out.

Doncaster striker Steve Brooker is hoping to make only his second league start of the season.

Brooker, 29, has endured rotten luck with injuries for the past couple of years and did not feature at all last season. But he stepped off the substitutes’ bench to fire a stunning goal in last week’s 1-1 home draw with Leicester.

Defender George Friend is expected to miss out as he is scheduled for surgery to resolve a double hernia and although manager Sean O’Driscoll has no new injury or suspension problems, he does not expect any of his injured players to return.

Central defenders Shelton Martis (hamstring) and Adam Lockwood (knee), full-back James Chambers (knee) and midfield pair Martin Woods (hip) and Paul Keegan (knee) remain long-term absentees.

Goalkeeper Neil Sullivan returned last week despite being diagnosed as having “a pre-cursor to a stress fracture” in his leg, so Gary Woods is on stand-by.