Burnley host Middlesbrough at Turf Moor on Saturday afternoon with both teams hoping to extend their respective winning runs in the Championship as the midway point of the season approaches.
The Clarets did not take any time in getting up to speed after a month-long break when they demolished Queens Park Rangers in London last weekend, whereas Boro also recorded a victory at home to Luton Town on their return to competitive action.
Match preview
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In a Championship that has been generally very tight as highlighted by the league table, Vincent Kompany's Burnley have stood out as strong contenders for automatic promotion following relegation from the Premier League last season.
The former Manchester City defender has transformed the style of football and culture at Turf Moor, implementing a considerably more attractive approach than the one the club adopted in the top flight under Sean Dyche, helping the team move clear of the chasing pack so far.
The Clarets are first in the league standings with 44 points from 22 matches, a tally that puts them eight points ahead of third-placed Blackburn Rovers who suffered a heavy defeat to Preston North End last weekend.
Apart from after a defeat to Watford in August and a disastrous afternoon at Bramall Lane in November which ended in a 5-2 loss, Kompany's side have not travelled home from a Championship fixture empty-handed this season, and have also developed a helpful habit of scoring freely, netting three or more times in three of their last four league games.
Jay Rodriguez is leading the scoring charts for Burnley with nine goals, a tally supplemented by the seven strikes provided by Southampton's Nathan Tella in the youngster's first loan move away from St Mary's Stadium.
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Middlesbrough are now five games unbeaten in the Championship after a late Matt Crooks winner ensured Michael Carrick's men snatched all three points off Luton last weekend, a result which moved Boro into the top half of the Championship table.
Chuba Akpom was also on target for the hosts at the Riverside Stadium in that victory, with the former Arsenal youngster top of the league's scoring charts with nine goals, although he shares that position currently with nine other players - quite the change from Aleksandar Mitrovic's complete dominance of that particular metric last campaign.
Manchester United legend Carrick has only lost once in his first six matches as Middlesbrough boss, with that result coming at Deepdale against a Preston side who are set to fight for a top-six place this season.
Boro fans will be hoping their team can do the same, with a four-point gap to sixth place easily recoverable with the season yet to reach its metaphorical half-time break.
However, a trip to Turf Moor does not seem a likely destination for Boro to close in on the likes of Preston and Watford when considering the Clarets are unbeaten on home turf this season, scoring over two goals per game in the process.
Team News
Burnley boss Kompany was able to hand both Scott Twine and Darko Churlinov brief gametime in the victory over QPR, with the exciting duo still a few weeks away from full fitness after long spells out with their respective injuries.
Ashley Westwood is closer to a return to action after being involved in the Clarets' friendly fixtures during the World Cup break, with the 32-year-old midfielder not far away from being available for selection in the Championship.
Winger Anass Zaroury is still away with Morocco at the World Cup and will be hoping to get onto the pitch in football's biggest tournament during his nation's third-place playoff with Croatia at the Khalifa International Stadium on Saturday.
Middlesbrough have no fresh injury worries ahead of a daunting assignment at Turf Moor this weekend, with Akpom, Crooks and Australian Riley McGree the visiting side's most likely source of goals in Lancashire.
Carrick will still be unable to call on the services of Marc Bola due to a knee injury sustained in the defeat at Preston and will also be without Matthew Clarke, with the defender suffering from mobility issues caused by nerve damage in his back.
Burnley possible starting lineup:
Muric; Vitinho, Harwood-Bellis, Beyer, Maatsen; Cork, Cullen, Gudmundsson, Brownhill, Tella; Rodriguez
Middlesbrough possible starting lineup:
Steffen; Smith, Fry, Lenihan, Giles; Hackney, Howson, Jones, Crooks, McGree; Akpom
We say: Burnley 2-0 Middlesbrough
Burnley are a few more good results away from creating a significant gap between themselves and the rest of the Championship, with those inside the Clarets camp insisting they have an extra gear to go into as the season reaches the midway point.
Middlesbrough will definitely fancy their chances of competing for a playoff position this campaign but will struggle to leave Turf Moor with anything to show for their efforts in terms of points on Saturday.
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