Middlesbrough continue to search for vital points when hosting West Ham United this afternoon.
Striker Patrick Bamford may receive immediate action having completed a permanent move from Chelsea during the week.
However, defender Daniel Ayala is suspended and Gaston Ramirez and Antonio Barragan both sidelined with injuries.
“It’s an important game because if we win we can open a big gap at the bottom, but it’s a tough league and I’m sure we will be fighting until the end,” head coach Aitor Karanka told BBC Sport. “The game we played against [West Ham] in London was the game that changed everything. From that day we’ve improved and I hope we can continue to improve.”
The visitors were hoping Andy Carroll, Sofiane Feghouli, Sam Byram and Winston Reid would recover from recent knocks.
Both Cheikhou Kouyate and Andre Ayew are unavailable due to being at the Africa Cup of Nations, while the unsettled Dimitri Payet is similarly missing.
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