On their return to action after the international break, Middlesbrough will aim to strengthen their push for a place in the top two of the Championship table on Saturday, as they make the trip to take on Huddersfield Town.

The visitors sit three points behind second-placed Sheffield United having played one game more than the Blades, while their hosts find themselves three points adrift of safety after a crucial win before the break.

Match preview

Following the dismissal of Mark Fotheringham in early February and two further losses under temporary management, taking a winless run to seven matches, Huddersfield Town found themselves in a particularly concerning position in their bid to avoid relegation from the Championship, with just 28 points on the board from 31 league outings.

The Terriers then turned to Neil Warnock with the aim of climbing towards safety, and he enjoyed a winning start at home to Birmingham City but was unable to sustain an improved run, as they would then suffer back-to-back 4-0 defeats at the hands of Burnley and Coventry City.

A winless run was then stretched to five matches, as they played out a goalless draw with Bristol City and suffered a defeat away at West Bromwich Albion, before taking a more commendable point in a 1-1 draw at home to Norwich City with Grant Hanley's own goal in the second half forcing a share of the spoils.

Aiming to build on that result and end their wait for another victory, with their position in the bottom three having worsened, Warnock's men most recently faced the tough test of a trip to Millwall before the international break, and they defied the odds to make a return to winning ways, with Danny Ward's 67th-minute goal being the only difference between the sides.

While they would have hoped for another game in quick succession on the high from that three-point haul, the Terriers will be rested on their return to action with the gap between themselves and safety cut to three points, and they will look to gain further ground on the likes of Cardiff City and Rotherham United with what would be another big scalp on Saturday.

That will certainly be no easy task, though, as the visitors will aim to continue their eye-catching run of form in the pursuit of a top-two place, having been one of the league's form teams under Michael Carrick in recent months.

In his 22 Championship games at the helm, Middlesbrough have put 16 victories on the board and amassed 50 points, moving from the bottom three to within touching distance of the automatic promotions spots as a result, with eight of their last 10 league outings ending up in victory, while the only defeat in that time came away at West Bromwich Albion in late February.

They quickly bounced back with 5-0 and 3-1 beatings of Reading and Swansea City, before the pursuit of second-placed Sheffield United was slightly slowed as they were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Stoke City, with Ki-Jana Hoever levelling the scoring on the stroke of half time after Chuba Akpom's opener.

The second-placed Blades extended their lead to six points with a victory of their own in that midweek, but with Paul Heckingbottom's men not in action on the Saturday prior to the break, Carrick's men had the opportunity to reduce the deficit back to three points, and they did so in dominant fashion at home to Preston North End, as Cameron Archer hit a brace alongside goals from Akpom and Marcus Forss in a 5-0 thrashing.

Now with a chance to move into second spot for the first time this season with a victory, if Sheffield United lose their game at the weekend, albeit having played a game more than the Blades, Carrick's side will be desperate to pick up where they left off before the break and build another winning streak heading into the run-in.

Team News

Huddersfield Town will remain without Yuta Nakayama, Ollie Turton and Tino Anjorin, with all three sidelined for the remainder of the season, while goalkeeper Lee Nicholls and midfielder Duane Holmes are nearing returns from their own issues but are unlikely to feature from the outset this weekend.

Instead, Tomas Vaclik will again play between the sticks, while the back four of Matty Pearson, Tom Lees, Michal Helik and Josh Ruffels should remain unchanged after their clean sheet away at Millwall prior to the break.

They will be shielded by Jonathan Hogg and Rarmani Edmonds-Green at the base of midfield, while Danny Ward should come in to displace Martyn Waghorn and lead the line after his decisive goal last time out.

Michael Carrick should field an unchanged Middlesbrough starting XI from their thrashing of Preston before the break, with Chuba Akpom again bound to play a starring role in attack having netted a league-high tally of 24 goals in his 31 Championship appearances so far this season.

He will support Cameron Archer, who has netted six goals in 12 league games since his arrival on loan from Aston Villa, while Riley McGree and Marcus Forss offer further threat on the wings.

Elsewhere, Hayden Hackney will again join Jonny Howson at the base of midfield with Tommy Smith, Dael Fry, Darragh Lenihan and Ryan Giles all set to keep their places in a back four.

Huddersfield Town possible starting lineup:
Vaclik; Pearson, Lees, Helik, Ruffels; Hogg, Edmonds-Green; Koroma, Rudoni, Jackson; Ward

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

We say: Huddersfield Town 0-2 Middlesbrough

While Huddersfield will have renewed confidence from their win before the break, Middlesbrough are full of momentum in their charge towards the top two, and we do not anticipate them being derailed at the weekend.


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