Millwall have hit a rich vein of form at the perfect time and will look to continue that when they travel to the Riverside to take on Middlesbrough on Saturday.
The Lions are currently on their longest unbeaten run for more than a year, with unexpected victories away to Nottingham Forest and Wigan Athletic being highlights of their four-match streak so far.
An equaliser in the fifth minute of stoppage time in last weekend's match against Watford kept the run alive and left Millwall just one point from safety with four games to play.
Charlton Athletic do still have a game in hand over their London rivals, but with four teams now within three points of the relegation zone, Millwall could well climb out of the bottom three by the end of Easter weekend.
Goal difference could be an issue for the Lions, but they are slowly but surely improving their league-worst tally and it is no longer significantly worse than the teams around them in the table.
Oddly enough, the Lions have fared better against high-flying opposition in recent weeks, particularly away from home. They have won three of their last five matches on the road, all against teams in the top half, having only won one of their previous 18 away games this season.
Ian Holloway did receive some bad news in the midst of their improved form, however, as Ed Upson was ruled out for the rest of the season with an ankle injury, joining Danny Shittu on the sidelines.
Middlesbrough, meanwhile, are on a fine run of form themselves and made it four wins on the trot with a surprise 1-0 victory over Burnley at Turf Moor last Saturday.
They have now lost just one of their last nine games, a run that comes too late for a playoff challenge but has seen them rise into the top half of the table.
Boro have not won five league games in a row since 2012, and Aitor Karanka will very much be eyeing that target this weekend as he looks to finish the campaign strongly with a view to pushing for the top six next season.
Their form at the Riverside has been impressive this season, with just three defeats in the league and only one in their last 11. They have been strong defensively in those last 11 too, keeping eight clean sheets.
They will not be able to call upon the services of Daniel Ayala for the match, however, as he is suspended, while Mustapha Carayol is out for the remainder of the season.
Recent form
Middlesbrough: LDWWWW
Millwall: LLDWWD
Possible starting lineups
Middlesbrough: Konstantopoulos; Varga, Woodgate, Omeruo, Friend; Chalobah, Butterfield; Adomah, Tomlin, Williams; Graham
Millwall: Forde; Edwards, Beevers, Dunne, Malone; Woolford, Williams, Bailey, Garvan, Martin; Morison
Sports Mole says: 2-2
No Data Analysis info
