Middlesbrough face a tricky test as they welcome Bristol City to the Riverside Stadium.

The Teessiders endured a difficult start to 2021 but seem to have found their feet again during the last week after recording back-to-back wins over Huddersfield Town and Reading.

As a result Neil Warnock's side find themselves within three points of the play-off spot - a position that they'll be hoping to capitalise on over the coming weeks.

That will start against the Robins, however the visitors will be quietly confident of pulling off a result.

With Nigel Pearson in charge the club will be hopeful of the new boss making an immediate impact on the club.

Results have been poor for Bristol City of late who have failed to score in each of their last five games - something that David Prutton is expecting to continue against Middlesbrough.

Sky Sports' EFL pundit David Prutton cast his eye over the game and is backing Middlesbrough to pull off a 2-0 victory over the Robins.

Whether that prediction will be accurate remains to be seen, but with Pearson in charge the likelihood is that it'll be a close contest.

The verdict

It's hard to bet against Neil Warnock's side at the moment.

Middlesbrough are looking strong after a blip and they'll be really hoping that they can kick on and ultimately secure a top six finish this term.

Bristol City will be keen to see improvements, and I'm sure that under Nigel Pearson they'll prove to be a stern opponent at the Riverside Stadium.