Middlesbrough play host to Rotherham United on Tuesday evening looking for the win which would take them level on points with sixth-placed Bournemouth.
Rotherham make the trip to the Riverside Stadium sitting in the Championship zone, five points adrift of safety with three matches in hand.
Match preview
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Neil Warnock understandably cut a frustrated figure after watching his Middlesbrough side lose 1-0 at home to Blackburn Rovers on Sunday, their second successive defeat on home territory.
While Boro have still only lost three times in 12 matches at the Riverside Stadium this season, the setbacks against Birmingham City and Blackburn have left the club playing catch-up in the race for promotion.
With the top five all claiming at least seven points from their most recent three fixtures, Middlesbrough are effectively left trying to take advantage of Bournemouth's sudden drop in form.
On a positive note, the North-East outfit are still performing consistently in defence, putting the onus on the forward players to start delivering on a regular basis.
Even though Britt Assombalonga and Duncan Watmore top the scoring charts with five goals apiece, Warnock needs more players to contribute if Boro are going to contend for a return to the top flight.
Rotherham endured a frustrating Christmas and New Year period as they were limited to just one fixture in three weeks, which saw them lose 2-1 to Yorkshire rivals Barnsley.
Nevertheless, the Millers have looked refreshed since returning to Championship action, claiming four points from meetings with Derby County and Stoke City.
Despite being five points adrift of safety, Rotherham boss Paul Warne will feel that his players are performing well enough to take advantage of their three games in hand.
With 10 matches in total to be played before the end of February, however, Warne is aware that his side can ill-afford to lose the momentum generated from their recent results.
Middlesbrough Championship form: WLWLWL
Middlesbrough form (all competitions): LWLLWL
Rotherham United Championship form: LWLLWD
Rotherham United form (all competitions): WLLLWD
Team News
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Nathan Wood is expected to take the place of Dael Fry, who sustained a head injury against Blackburn at the weekend.
Warnock could also hand a recall to Marvin Johnson, while Ashley Fletcher is in contention again after returning from an injury layoff.
Having had a week to prepare for this game, Rotherham boss Warne may opt to name the same team which started versus Stoke.
Freddie Ladapo is likely to remain on the substitutes' bench after Matt Crooks and Michael Smith combined to net the three goals against the Potters.
Middlesbrough possible starting lineup:
Bettinelli; Spence, Wood, McNair, Bola; Morsy, Howson, Saville; Tavernier, Assombalonga, Johnson
Rotherham United possible starting lineup:
Blackman; Ihiekwe, Wood, MacDonald; Olosunde, Lindsay, Barlaser, Wiles, Harding; Crooks; Smith
We say: Middlesbrough 2-1 Rotherham United
After their disappointing defeat at the weekend, Warnock will do everything in his power to get a reaction on Wednesday. With that in mind, we expect Boro to battle their way to a hard-fought victory over opponents who will be equally motivated to get out of their own predicament.
Top betting tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Middlesbrough win with a probability of 40.71%. A win for Rotherham United had a probability of 30.34% and a draw had a probability of 29%.
The most likely scoreline for a Middlesbrough win was 1-0 with a probability of 13.35%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (8.03%) and 2-1 (7.99%). The likeliest Rotherham United win was 0-1 (11.06%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.29%). The actual scoreline of 0-3 was predicted with a 1.8% likelihood.
