Middlesbrough will continue their pursuit of second-placed Sheffield United in the Championship table when they welcome Stoke City to the Riverside Stadium on Tuesday night.

Michael Carrick's side are currently third in the division, seven points off the automatic promotion spots, while Stoke occupy 13th, some nine points off the playoff positions in the second tier.

Match preview

Middlesbrough made it seven wins from their last eight Championship matches when they recorded a 3-1 victory over Swansea City in Wales on Saturday afternoon.

Swansea actually took the lead in the 15th minute of the contest through Joel Piroe, but Boro netted three times without reply in the second half, with Aaron Ramsey, Cameron Archer and Chuba Akpom on the scoresheet.

Carrick has performed miracles since his arrival as head coach last October, now boasting a record of 15 wins, one draw and five defeats from his 21 matches in charge.

Middlesbrough, as mentioned, are seven points behind second-placed Sheffield United on the same number of matches (35), while they sit six points ahead of seventh-placed Millwall.

Boro have been absent from the Premier League since 2017, but they are on a roll at the moment, with their only loss since January 22 coming away to West Bromwich Albion.

Stoke, meanwhile, have been out of the Premier League since 2018, and they have not even been close to challenging for a return over the last four campaigns, finishing 16th, 15th, 14th and 14th.

The Potters are currently down in 13th position in the table, nine points behind sixth-placed Norwich City, so a lot would have to happen to make a push for the playoffs in the latter stages of the season.

Alex Neil's side will enter this match in strong form, though, having won three of their last four in the Championship, including their last two - scoring five at Sunderland on March 4 before beating Blackburn Rovers 3-2 in a thriller on Saturday afternoon.

Stoke were 3-0 ahead against Blackburn in the 75th minute before Rovers scored twice in the final exchanges, but the home team managed to hold on to claim all three points at the conclusion of the five-goal contest.

The Potters have been relatively strong away from home this season, winning seven of their 18 matches, but they will be taking on a Boro side with the fourth-best home record, claiming 35 points from 17 games.

These two teams played out a 2-2 draw in the reverse match earlier this season, but Middlesbrough won 3-1 in the corresponding fixture at the Riverside Stadium last term.

Team News

Middlesbrough will again be without the services of Matt Clarke due to a back problem, but the home team are otherwise in strong shape ahead of this contest.

Carrick is unlikely to see a good enough reason to change a winning team, so it could be a case of same again when it comes to the starting XI for Tuesday night's fixture.

Ramsey, Akpom and Archer were all on the scoresheet in the impressive win at Swansea, and the trio are set to be involved in the starting side once again in this game.

As for Stoke, Ben Wilmot, Matija Sarkic and Nick Powell remain on the sidelines.

The Potters were given a late scare against Blackburn, with head coach Neil potentially regretting the late changes that he made, so there are unlikely to be any alterations to the XI here.

On-loan Manchester United defender Axel Tuanzebe will continue at the back, while Dwight Gayle is again set to operate as the lone centre-forward for Stoke in this contest.

Middlesbrough possible starting lineup:
Steffen; Smith, McNair, Lenihan, Giles; Howson, Hackney; McGree, Akpom, Ramsey; Archer

Stoke City possible starting lineup:
Bonham; Hoever, Tuanzebe, Fox, Sterling; Pearson, Laurent; Brown, Smallbone, Campbell; Gayle

We say: Middlesbrough 2-1 Stoke City

Stoke's recent form has been impressive, but Middlesbrough have been strong at home this season, only losing two of their 17 matches in front of their own fans. It should be a tight game on Tuesday evening, but Carrick's side have enough quality to claim another victory in this match.

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