Sky Sports will broadcast Middlesbrough v Sheffield Utd as the first live Coca-Cola Football League match of the new season.

The match, which kicks-off at 8pm on Friday, August, will be the first of up to 80 live Coca-Cola League games to be shown on Sky Sports this season, including the Play-Offs and all three finals from Wembley.

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The Brazilian club record signing missed the closing weeks of the last campaign with a broken foot, but is on course to begin pre-season training on July 6.

Alves has scored 13 goals in 47 league and cup appearances since joining Boro from Heerenveen in a £12million deal in January 2008.

Meanwhile, Boro boss Gareth Southgate also expects David Wheater to be fit for the start of the new Championship season.

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He told BBC Radio Tees: "They will be up there challenging, but I do know the Championship and looking at every year, it seems to be getting stronger and stronger with more teams capable of getting promotion to the Premier League.

"But once you go down, it is very difficult to get back up. You have to do it, I think, in the first year - if not, the second - otherwise you will sink, as many other clubs have done.

"It has shown that with Charlton and Southampton. It's very, very difficult.

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Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate is making a £400,000 bid for Sheffield United's experienced midfielder Nick Montgomery.

The 27-year-old, who is celebrating his ninth anniversary at Bramall Lane today, still has a year of his contract left - with the club taking up an option that stopped him quitting for nothing.

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