Boro's Under-21s face their first competitive action of the year at Boreham Wood on Friday evening when Arsenal are the hosts.
It's fifth-placed Boro's first PL2 outing since a 2-2 draw at Reading in mid-December when Ajay Matthews scored twice from the penalty spot.
This Christmas period has seen a number of youngsters step up from the U21s to the senior squad, and there's been a debut for Calum Kavanagh while AJ Bridge, Dan Nkrumah, and Bryant Bilongo have also been on the subs bench.
Teenager Law McCabe has also stepped off the bench for the games against Preston North End and Port Vale.
With the first team in action at Millwall on Saturday, Mark Tinkler will again go deep into his squad for the clash with the Gunners.
Boro can overhaul fourth-placed Arsenal with a win on Friday.