Middlesbrough have the opportunity to return to their best form against Championship strugglers Millwall at the Riverside Stadium on Tuesday evening.
One win in four games has raised concerns about the strength of Middlesbrough's promotion bid, and they produced another below-par performance in Saturday's 2-0 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough.
Aitor Karanka was quick to admit that his side's performance in the loss was "awful", and he has challenged the squad to produce a swift response when they return to action in front of their home supporters.
Despite that disappointing defeat, Middlesbrough remain in the second automatic promotion spot, two points behind leaders Derby County, but with just five points separating the Rams and Ipswich Town in sixth, Karanka will be fully aware that the pressure is on his team to get back to their best.
The hosts will be coming up against a Millwall side lacking in confidence after they lost 2-1 in a vital match with relegation rivals Rotherham United on the weekend.
Ian Holloway's men are now six points adrift of safety, and could see their hopes of survival quickly disappear if they fail to pick up a result against either Middlesbrough or Norwich City next Saturday.
It's a tough ask for a side that have not won any of their last four games, and Millwall fans will also be haunted of the memories of a 5-1 thrashing they suffered at the hands of Karanka's team in December.
Holloway could be tempted into a change in attack as the experienced Ricardo Fuller looks to claim a spot in the starting lineup for the trip to the Riverside.
Grant Leadbitter and Lee Tomlin are both expected to be handed recalls by Karanka, while Patrick Bamford is likely to keep his place up front.
Middlesbrough:
Form in Championship: WWDLWL
Form in all competitions: WLDLWL
Possible starting lineup: Konstantopoulos, Friend, Kalas, Gibson, Husband, Leadbitter, Tomlin, Clayton, Forshaw, Bamford, Kike
Millwall:
Form in Championship: LWLDLL
Possible starting lineup: Forde, Abdou, Harding, Hooivled, Dunne, Williams, Tonge, Woolford, Fabbrini, Fuller, Gregory
Sports Mole says: 2-0
No Data Analysis info
