Middlesbrough vs. Manchester City, 2017 FA Cup: Players to Watch

Manchester City are set to play Middlesbrough on Saturday afternoon in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup. City were on a good streak of form until Wednesday, when Stoke City snapped their winning streak in a boring 0-0 draw.

Boro have struggled as of late, dropping into the relegation zone in the Premier League. They've only won one of their last seven fixtures, which was their FA Cup match against Oxford United, where they struggled to beat the League One side at home and needed a late goal to win 3-2 at the Riverside.

Boro cannot score to save their lives, and City had the same problem against Stoke. Here are a few players who could make sure this isn't another 0-0 snoozefest.

Adama Traoré

While he largely goes under the radar of most Premier League fans, Traoré is developing into a star winger at Boro. After spending most of his early days at Barcelona, Adama moved to England and has produced pretty good performances at the age of 21.

The Spanish winger has world-class dribbling ability, completing an average of five dribbles per game. Adama has even received praise from Pep Guardiola during the youngster's time at the Barça academy, and he will only improve from here.

Fernandinho

After moving back to his favorite spot in midfield, Dinho looks much more comfortable on the ball. In the match against Stoke, the Brazilian contributed to the attack and the defense, and his passing and dribbling look much improved from his role as a full-back.

Thankfully, the return of Gaël Clichy has allowed the Brazilian to be a midfielder again, and he will probably keep up his form against Boro. Look for Dinho to play really well once again this weekend.

Álvaro Negredo

Negredo is a City fan favorite, and before a pretty serious injury, The Beast was a key component in the 2014 Premier League title campaign. After a brief stint with Valencia, Negredo returned to the Premier League after signing with Boro last summer.

While he performed at a high level early on in the season, Negredo has been very inconsistent over the last few months, but is still the team leader in goals (6) and assists (4). Negredo will try to capitalize in a reunion with his former club.

Raheem Sterling

Pep Guardiola’s decision to bench Sterling for the game against Stoke raised many eyebrows, as the City offense could’ve utilized his explosive pace and goal scoring ability to earn the three points. Nonetheless, he should be back in the starting lineup after the midweek rest.

Sterling is on pace to beat his numbers from last year with 9 goals so far this season, compared to 11 of last season. Look for Sterling to add another goal to his record and send City to Wembley.