The Championship resumes following a two-week break on Friday evening as Middlesbrough and Queens Park Rangers prepare to lock horns at the Riverside.
Boro have a chance to close the gap a little more on the top two, while QPR are simply looking to lift themselves back into the top half of the division following an indifferent campaign to date.
Middlesbrough
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Quite simply, the overriding goal for the Smoggies this season is to go one better than last term and earn automatic promotion to the Premier League.
The big summer spending, adding to what was already a strong squad capable of challenging at the top, has only made the message even clearer for boss Aitor Karanka.
With a third of the season now played, Boro are on track to achieving their goal after taking 30 points from their opening 16 fixtures to find themselves well positioned in fourth place.
It has hardly been plain sailing, though, as a recent three-game winless run - including two defeats - saw the wheels temporarily fall off the wagon following a profitable September in terms of results.
While Boro did manage to turn their form around by then taking nine points from nine, while also recording a famous victory at Old Trafford in the League Cup, a 3-0 reverse at leaders Hull City prior to the international break perhaps set alarm bells ringing.
Karanka and defender George Friend were both quick to admit that the better side won on the day, as last season's beaten playoff finalists struggled to match their opponents' high levels.
The hope among supporters now is that a similar slump to the one witnessed a few weeks back does not follow, knowing that Boro need to keep pace with the sides above them if they are indeed going to finish inside the top two.
If the North-East outfit's overall form at the Riverside is anything to go by then this weekend's match could well be a banker, with five wins and a draw in their last six, as well as five shutouts in the process, seeing them boast the third-best home record in the division.
Recent form in Championship: DLWWWL
Recent form (all competitions): LWWWWL
Queens Park Rangers
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The situation at Loftus Road in terms of the vacant managerial position appears to be no clearer at this point than it did a fortnight ago.
Since parting company with Chris Ramsey on November 4, a decision that had been brewing for some time, QPR have been on the lookout for a permanent replacement.
AC Milan legend Clarence Seedorf has been linked with the job, so too have Nigel Pearson and most recently Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, but at this stage an appointment looks further away than ever.
QPR certainly have an experienced man at the helm for the time being, though, with Neil Warnock and his trusted deputy Kevin Blackwell tasked with keeping the club afloat in the hope that a playoff push could still be on the cards.
The task facing the new boss is looking tough, particularly when taking into consideration the Hoops' poor recent away record which has seen them lose four on the bounce and keep one clean sheet in 15 games overall.
Having kept hold of a number of key players this summer, most notably Charlie Austin - who admittedly did spend some time on the sidelines - QPR were backed by many to at least finish inside the top six.
With Austin, Matty Phillips and Rob Green all being linked with January moves away, it may now be a little tougher for club chiefs to reject potential big-money bids from Premier League sides.
Two wins from their last 11 outings is simply not good enough for a side of Rangers' calibre, meaning that the new manager - whoever it may be - will be taking over a side currently nearer the relegation zone than the playoffs.
Recent form in Championship: LDWLLD
Team News
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It is not known whether Christian Stuani will be declared fit in time to feature from the off for Boro, having arrived back from international duty with Uruguay where he was twice an unused sub.
A place on the bench is the most likely outcome, meaning a leading role in attack for David Nugent who will play just off Stuart Downing - a player who has created a whopping 33 chances for his teammates this term.
As far as the visitors are concerned, they will also have to make a late call over the availability of Junior Hoilett and Massimo Luongo, as both were part of their national sides' recent fixtures.
James Perch will likely return at right-back after his recent suspension, while Leroy Fer may be thrown into the mix once more under the temporary watch of Warnock.
Middlesbrough possible starting lineup:
Konstantopolous; Kalas, Ayala, Gibson, Friend; Clayton, Leadbitter; Adomah, Downing, Fabbrini; Nugent
Queens Park Rangers possible starting lineup:
Green; Perch, Hall, Onuoha, Konchesky; Tozser, Sandro; Phillips, Luongo, Chery; Austin
Head To Head
Middlesbrough have lost their last two home meetings with QPR, having previously won three on the bounce.
QPR have won each of the last four games against Boro overall, in fact, scoring two or more goals during each of those matches.
The first goal of the contest is unlikely to prove all that decisive, however, as no Championship side has either dropped more points from a winning position (10) or won more from losing situations (7) than the R's.
We say: Middlesbrough 2-0 Queens Park Rangers
Karanka may have claimed in the build-up to Friday's match that he is expecting a "really difficult" test at the Riverside, but there is no denying that QPR are in a real state of flux at this moment in time and struggling for form.
No Data Analysis info
