Middlesbrough will look to end their poor run of form when they host Leeds United at the Riverside on Saturday.

A run of five matches without a win has seen Boro's faint playoff hopes drift even further away, and they now sit a full 11 points behind sixth-placed Reading.

With so many teams in the race for that final playoff spot, Middlesbrough's chances look all but over, but they could leapfrog Leeds in the table and climb as high as 11th with a big enough win on Saturday.

Before focusing on how much they need to win by, however, they will need to first score a goal - something Aitor Karanka's side have not found easy of late.

Boro have not scored a single goal in their last five matches and the last time that they found the net was Emanuel Ledesma's 16th-minute strike against Charlton Athletic on January 18, more than a month ago.

That makes it 524 minutes without scoring, which is a real worry for Karanka after he brought in Danny Graham in an attempt to appease their troubles in front of goal.

They have scored just once in their last four games at home, but their overall record at the Riverside this season is not too bad, with only two defeats to their name.

They have kept clean sheets in their last five home league games - during which time they are unbeaten - but they have had a problem with drawing matches, sharing the spoils seven times in their 15 games in front of their own fans.

Despite their recent woes, Boro have scored more times than any other side in the bottom half of the table, while their defensive record is the best outside the top 10.

Graham is once again expected to be the man to lead the line as they look to end their drought in front of goal, while Seb Hines could come in for the suspended Ben Gibson.

Leeds are slightly better off than their opponents on Saturday, but their playoff hopes are also teetering on the brink of extinction, and they can't afford too many more slip-ups.

The off-field troubles at the club are far from over, but they are at least a little more settled than they were when Brian McDermott found himself sacked and then 'un-sacked' in a matter of days.

Their form on the pitch has shown signs of improvement too, with back-to-back wins for the first time since November at the start of this month, although they did lose their last outing 1-0 to fellow playoff hopefuls Brighton & Hove Albion.

The Whites are currently eight points off the top six but have the luxury of a game in hand over Reading, Ipswich Town and Watford in the race for playoff football.

Saturday's match is the third of four consecutive away games for Leeds, a run that could prove important considering that they have only picked up one win in their last six on their travels.

However, they do boast the league's top scorer in 22-goal Ross McCormack, and he could receive some increased support this weekend with Cameron Stewart and Matt Smith expected to return to the starting XI.

Recent form

Middlesbrough: WLDDDL

Leeds: LLDWWL

Possible starting lineups

Middlesbrough: Given; Varga, Hines, Woodgate, Friend; Whitehead, Chalobah; Carayol, Leadbitter, Adomah; Graham

Leeds: Kenny; Byram, Pearce, Lees, Warnock; Austin, Murphy; Stewart, McCormack, Kebe; Smith

Sports Mole says: 1-1