Middlesbrough head coach Aitor Karanka has insisted that he will not blame the poor state of the pitch at Bloomfield Road if his side fail to beat Blackpool this evening.
Boro enter the match on a five-game winning streak in all competitions and come up against a Blackpool side who are bottom of the table and without a win against one of the Championship's top sides this season.
However, all four of the Tangerines' league wins this season have come at home and the cut-up Bloomfield Road playing surface makes it difficult for visiting teams.
"I have been analysing Blackpool's games and the pitch is awful," Karanka told the Evening Gazette.
"That is not an excuse, and if we lose the game, I will not be saying that we lost because the pitch was bad.
"My main concern is that we could get some injuries, and that will be a worry for every team in the league that plays there."
If Boro win tonight, they are guaranteed a place in the automatic promotion places as current top two Bournemouth and Derby County face each other.
Pascal Lemesre
