Teams separated by just one place and two points face off at Riverside Stadium on Saturday afternoon as Middlesbrough host Queens Park Rangers.
Boro are winless in four and are no longer in realistic promotion contention, while QPR are positioned just behind after a mixed run of form.
Match preview
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Neil Warnock made no secret of his desire to earn yet another promotion from the Championship this season, and for a while that looked a serious possibility.
However, one point from the last 12 on offer - coming in a 1-1 draw with Watford - has left the Smoggies 14 points adrift of the top six with 15 points to play for.
It is now a case of finishing as high up the division as possible for Warnock, who will have another crack at taking Middlesbrough up in 2021-22.
Boro have scored only twice during their four-game winless streak, but those three losses each came away from the Riverside.
At home, they have won two and drawn two of their last four outings, while QPR have lost back-to-back matches 3-1 on their travels.
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Those successive away defeats come on the back of a run of just two losses in their previous 10 away from the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium.
The Rs have alternated between a win and defeat in their last four games overall, most recently following up a 4-1 win versus Sheffield Wednesday with a 3-1 loss at Rotherham United.
This is a fixture QPR tend to do well in, having lost just one of their last five league encounters with Boro, though the most recent of those finished in a 1-1 draw eight months ago.
The West London outfit are looking to win back-to-back away league games against Middlesbrough for just a second time, last doing so in March 2014.
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Team News
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QPR striker Charlie Austin will serve the last of a three-game ban for violent conduct in the recent defeat to Nottingham Forest.
Lyndon Dykes has stepped up with four goals in his last three outings, with Charlie Kelman selected alongside him in attack for the first time last week.
Fellow attacker Albert Adomah has been involved in five goals in his last six league appearances against Middlesbrough, but he will likely be among the substitutes on Saturday.
As for the home side, Sam Morsy suffered a season-ending injury earlier this month to join the likes of Dael Fry and Marcus Tavernier on the sidelines.
Britt Assombalonga and Yannick Bolasie were brought on as substitutes against Barnsley and could return to the XI for the visit of QPR.
Ashley Fletcher, who has two goals in 12 Championship appearances this season, is another pushing for inclusion.
Middlesbrough possible starting lineup:
Bettinelli; Fisher, Hall, McNair, Bola; Howson, Saville; Spence, Bolasie, Kebano; Assombalonga
Queens Park Rangers possible starting lineup:
Dieng; Dickie, De Wijs, Barbet; Kakay, Field, Johansen, Hamalainen; Willock; Bonne, Dykes
We say: Middlesbrough 1-1 Queens Park Rangers
There has been very little to separate Boro and QPR over the course of the campaign and two of the last three meetings between the sides have finished level.
We can see that being the case again at the Riverside on Saturday in a clash between two teams that will have to settle for a place just outside the playoffs.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Middlesbrough win with a probability of 40.75%. A win for Queens Park Rangers had a probability of 31.33% and a draw had a probability of 27.9%.
The most likely scoreline for a Middlesbrough win was 1-0 with a probability of 12.2%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.29%) and 2-0 (7.72%). The likeliest Queens Park Rangers win was 0-1 (10.35%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.1%). The actual scoreline of 1-2 was predicted with a 7% likelihood.
