Seeking to continue their recent revival with a fourth win on the bounce in all competitions, Middlesbrough host fellow Championship form side Cardiff City at the Riverside Stadium on Tuesday night.
Michael Carrick's men overcame Watford 3-2 in their Saturday showdown, while the visitors rose into the top six of the table owing to a 2-0 home success over Rotherham United.
Match preview
© Reuters
From failing to win any of their first seven Championship fixtures to collecting six points from the last six on offer, there will be no Halloween horror show for Middlesbrough if performances continue in the same vein over the coming weeks.
Following a long-awaited 2-1 triumph over Southampton and 2-0 beating of Bradford City in the EFL Cup - which booked a fourth-round date with Exeter City - Middlesbrough paid a visit to Vicarage Road on Saturday and made it three wins on the bounce in a five-goal extravaganza.
Riley McGree's 12-minute brace was cancelled out by a Vakoun Bayo finish and sensational strike from an unlikely scorer in Wesley Hoedt, but with 63 minutes gone, Josh Coburn found a way through the Hornets' backline and slotted home the decisive goal in front of the away support.
Slowly but surely dragging themselves away from danger, Boro have propelled themselves out of the relegation zone and into 21st place thanks to their three-game unbeaten run in the second tier, having also drawn away to Sheffield Wednesday before getting that winning feeling back.
Victory over Southampton on September 23 ended a dampening five-game run without a Championship success at the Riverside Stadium, but Carrick's men have failed to keep a clean sheet in each of their last nine league contests on home turf - frailties which Cardiff will seemingly have no problem capitalising on.
© Reuters
The visitors' recent spate of victories in the Championship proved meaningless when it came to EFL Cup duty in midweek, as Erol Bulut's side exited with a whimper in a 5-2 third-round loss to Blackburn Rovers, but they reverted to type when Rotherham embarked on a Welsh sojourn.
The Cardiff City Stadium faithful had to be patient, but Kion Etete held off Cohen Bramall to head home in the 56th minute, before Perry Ng wrapped up the three points in the 90th minute, firing home low into the net after two of his teammates saw their efforts blocked.
Like their midweek hosts, the Bluebirds are also revelling in their own winning streak - overcoming Swansea City, Coventry City, Sunderland and Rotherham in their last four Championship clashes - and the final playoff spot is currently theirs as a result.
However, Cardiff had only taken one point from four Championship away games - conceding 10 goals in the process - before leaving Sunderland's Stadium of Light with a narrow 1-0 win last month, and a resurgent Middlesbrough are not to be taken lightly by any stretch.
Cardiff left the Riverside with a 3-2 win to their name last season, but Boro soon returned the favour by sinking the Bluebirds 3-1 away from home back in February - their third win from their last four games against their promotion-chasing counterparts.
Team News
© Reuters
Middlesbrough's first away win of the season on Saturday was not quite the perfect afternoon for Carrick and co, as on-loan midfielder Lewis O'Brien was a first-half casualty with an ankle injury, which the Boro boss has admitted he is "fearing the worst" over.
O'Brien has recently been forced to fill in at left-back due to Alex Bangura's hamstring injury, and while Carrick has Lukas Engel available as a natural replacement, the former Denmark youth international was left on the bench at the weekend.
Tommy Smith - a right-back by trade - could therefore fill in on that side should Engel remain out of favour, and Carrick will be loath to make changes to a winning formula, but the fresh legs of Sam Greenwood and Marcus Forss could potentially come in handy.
Cardiff boss Bulut can share Carrick's pain when it comes to fresh injury concerns, as Yakou Meite was only on the field for 11 minutes against Rotherham before succumbing to an apparent hamstring problem.
The severity of Meite's issue remains unclear, but it would be a surprise to see him risked at the Riverside, where Aaron Ramsey (knee), Callum O'Dowda (leg) and Josh Bowler (calf) are set to join him on the sidelines.
Despite also not wanting to disrupt the harmony too much, Bulut may consider some alterations if jellied legs force his hand, which could see Ike Ugbo, Ollie Tanner and Mahlon Romeo push for places in the XI.
Middlesbrough possible starting lineup:
Dieng; Van den Berg, McNair, Fry, Smith; Hackney, Howson; Greenwood, Crooks, McGree; Coburn
Cardiff City possible starting lineup:
Alnwick; Romeo, Goutas, McGuiness, Ng; Ralls, Siopis, Wintle; Tanner, Etete, Ugbo
We say: Middlesbrough 2-2 Cardiff City
Middlesbrough's newfound mettle will be put to the test and then some on Tuesday night, and Carrick's backline are unlikely to walk away unscathed, especially with their ongoing crisis on the left-hand side.
However, Cardiff have also been prone to defensive collapses on rival turf this season, and an entertaining draw could prolong the feel-good factor around the Riverside Stadium.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
