Middlesbrough defender Ben Gibson will be forgiven if he thinks of this weekend's clash with Chelsea as an audition in front of Antonio Conte.
The trip to the Riverside Stadium will allow Chelsea to take a closer look at the 23-year-old, who was also considered for an England call-up by Gareth Southgate in the last month.
The west London club previously sent spies to watch Gibson, with signing a defender in January on Chelsea's to-do list.
Chelsea are looking at defensive options as they try to compete for the Premier League title and get back into the Champions League.