Middlesbrough will host Championship rivals Portsmouth at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday.
Middlesbrough head coach Kim Hellberg has admitted Ipswich Town are ‘in pole position’ to secure automatic promotion into the Premier League - but stressed his side have the character to continue pushing for a top two place over the coming weeks.
Boro slipped from Championship runners-up spot in the second tier last weekend after they collected just a solitary point from a home clash against promotion rivals Millwall and a long trip to Swansea City. Ipswich were able to take full advantage as Ben Johnson and Kasey McAteer both found the net in Monday’s 2-1 home win against Birmingham City that helped the Tractor Boys leapfrog Hellberg’s side and move into second place.
With Coventry City on the brink of being confirmed as champions and securing their spot in next season’s Premier League, the race for runners-up spot is hotting up with Boro, Millwall and Ipswich all sitting on 72 points - although the latter of the trio have the benefit of holding two games in hand on their rivals. That puts Ipswich in command according the Hellberg - although the Swede stressed he is trying to stay positive ahead of a nervy run-in.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, the Boro boss said: “Ipswich are in pole position now, with the two games in hand. But it’s 72, 72, 72. Ipswich also have the better goal difference. But you also look at, they have five away games and us at home, which means the next six are tough. We are in a better position than Millwall now because we're better goal difference, but they were in a better position for two days. It just shows it will twist and turn.
“You have to find wins and points and that’s why it was strong for us to show character [to earn a point at Swansea] and then we have to, of course, win on Saturday. That’s what we try to do every game. We try to stay positive because even if this period has been very poor, we have very few losses. I think we lost three in the last 15 or 16. But it’s a lot of draws, that’s what has killed us a little bit, and especially at home. We're trying to - I'm trying to - work out and find ways to help the players in a better way.”
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