Middlesbrough will want to get back on track when they host Nottingham Forest on Boxing Day after seeing their eight-game unbeaten run ended by Championship promotion rivals Ipswich Town on Saturday.

Aitor Karanka's side travelled to Portman Road after an impressive 2-0 victory over then-league leaders Derby County, but failed to build on that result as Mick McCarthy's Blues eased to a 2-0 win.

Karanka has since said that it was a good lesson for his players and also has a new assistant following the appointment of Steve Agnew, who left his role as Steve Bruce's right-hand man at Hull City to join Boro.

The Teesside club are fourth at Christmas on 39 points, three adrift of Bournemouth and two shy of Ipswich in the other automatic promotion place.

Although they have collected more points on their travels this season, Boro haven't lost at home since August and conceded just three goals in an eight-game unbeaten stretch at The Riverside.

In fact, they have the best defence in the league with 17 goals conceded and nine clean sheets all season.

Forest, who started the season so well, are back in a slump having gone four games without a win.

It's also just two wins in 15 following the 1-1 draw with Leeds United on Saturday evening, and the club are now seven points adrift of the playoffs in ninth place.

Stuart Pearce and the Forest fans can feel hard done by, though, having seen two Matty Fryatt goals wrongly flagged offside.

With Britt Assombalonga left on the bench in favour of Dexter Blackstock against Leeds, Fryatt has assumed the number-one striker role of late and contributed three goals and two assists in his last six games.

Selection is an issue in attack and Pearce is soon to have a headache in defence as well with Jack Hobbs, who has been out of action since September, nearing a return. Key midfielder Andy Reid, also missing since the East Midlands clash against Derby County three months ago, will be available not long into the New Year.

Forest will be without Thomas Ince after he was recalled by Hull City following an unsuccessful loan spell that included just four starts.

Recent Boxing Day records point to a home win, with Boro winning four games in a row at The Riverside without conceding a goal while Forest haven't won away on the day after Christmas in eight games since 1991.

Middlesbrough:

Recent form: DDDWWL

Possible starting lineup: Konstantopoulos; Nsue, Ayala, Omeruo, Friend; Adomah, Clayton, Leadbitter, Reach; Vossen, Bamford

Nottingham Forest:

Recent form: WWLDDD

Possible starting lineup: Darlow; Lichaj, Mancienne, Wilson, Fox; Burke, Lansbury, Tesche, Antonio; Fryatt, Assombalonga

Sports Mole says: 3-1

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