Middlesbrough make the short trip to the Stadium of Light tomorrow to face Sunderland looking to plunge their local rivals deeper into relegation peril. 

The Black Cats dropped to the bottom of the Championship in midweek and Boro will be looking for a win that boosts their promotion chances but also makes the situation even gloomier for Chris Coleman's men.

They have been hit by the news that Rudy Gestede has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a fractured ankle and that is likely to force Tony Pulis into a tactical rethink.

For years now, the Welshman's approach has centred around a tall target man who is a willing runner and can feed off scraps and that is clearly the role Gestede was pencilled in to fill.

His absence looks to open the door for club record signing Britt Assombalonga to return to the fold but Boro must make sure that they give the striker the kind of service he requires in order to score goals.

We've taken a look at the lineup Pulis should field at the Stadium of Light...

Randolph will be between the sticks between now and the end of the season barring injury.

Pulis will value his international experience and he appears to have resurrected the former West Ham man's form after a shaky start to his Boro career.

Sunderland's stuttering attack means that Randolph will be reasonably confident of keeping a clean sheet in this one.

Another feature of Pulis' tactical approach is taking tall centre halves and moving them to right back.

Shotton is absolutely ideal for that role and his emergence as first choice led to Cyrus Christie's departure from the Riverside.

Sunderland are likely to play with wingbacks and two centre forward so Shotton might have to tuck in for most of the match, something he is very comfortable with.

Ayala is one of the best defenders in the league when he's on form but he will have to watch out for the pace of Joel Asoro here.

There is only one winner in a foot race between the pair but if Boro are on the front foot as you would expect them to be then that shouldn't be a major or frequent problem.

Prior to missing Tuesday's game with Hull with a bug, Gibson played in every minute minute of Boro's previous 85 league matches, a run that goes back almost two years to February 2016.

He should return here and as a local boy, knows all about what these games mean to the fans. He and Ayala will have to cope with two young forwards but will hoping to keep it tight at the back.

Friend will be faced with the prospect of a wing back up against him here, most likely, and it should be Billy Jones.

That means he might find opportunities to overlap and deliver quality balls in, although he will no longer have the tall figure of Gestede to aim at in the middle.

Lining up against his former club, Boro captain Leadbitter will be up against Lee Cattermole in what could be a fascinating midfield battle.

Leadbitter is superior in terms of technical ability and should see more of the ball - it's all about what he does with it.

Besic is beginning to settle into life at the Riverside and his full-blooded approach looks perfect for this type of derby match.

He has the experience to make a difference in this type of encounter and he could really endear himself to the Boro fans with a top performance here.

Traore is the danger man here. He will fancy his chances of beating Bryan Oviedo for pace and if he gets him one against one regularly then it spells trouble for Sunderland.

He has been transformed under Pulis and is finally beginning to realise his vast potential but still needs to be more clinical.

Another goal here would be a great step towards that.

Downing is another local lad who will relish this encounter and the opportunity to worsen Sunderland's plight.

If he can get in between the lines, he can cause problems, especially if he can free Traore and Assombalonga to use their pace in behind.

He's seen it all before and that experience might help Boro see off a young Sunderland side.

Bamford is not a natural fit on the left hand side but he scored in midweek and that shows he is growing into the role.

Pulis needs to find a role for the former Chelsea man on a more regular basis and he might fancy his chances of becoming the main man in Gestede's absence.

Scoring more goals is the best way to do that and another one here would be the perfect start.

Assombalonga is struggling for confidence and he has never looked a natural fit for what Pulis is trying to do ever since the experienced manager was appointed at the Riverside.

The injury to Gestede has given him a massive opportunity to prove himself and he will be looking to grab it with both hands.

We know he can score goals, it's just how he fits into this Boro side. If he can utilise his pace on the break here then he may endear himself to Pulis a bit more.

What do you make of this selection? Let us know in the comments below...