Birmingham City manager Lee Bowyer has highlighted the need for his side to approach Saturday afternoon's game at the Riverside Stadium against Middlesbrough with the right attitude, speaking to the Northern Echo.

The Blues ended their goal drought last weekend against Swansea City, winning 2-1 against a confident Swans side and getting themselves back on track after a torrid spell of form in the second tier, both home and away.

They had failed to score a single goal in their previous six league games before Saturday's tie at St Andrew's, contributing heavily to a poor run of form that saw Bowyer's men fail to win any of their last seven matches.

With this, they dropped down from an impressive fourth position to a ghastly 19th and on their previous trajectory, only looked like heading one way against a Swansea side that had won against local rivals Cardiff City and automatic promotion contenders West Bromwich Albion before their trip to the West Midlands.

The Blues face another side at the weekend who are currently in good form in Neil Warnock's Middlesbrough, who were seemingly on a downward spiral before the previous international break after a 2-0 loss against Hull City, but have improved vastly with wins over struggling sides Peterborough United, Barnsley and Cardiff City more recently.

This will be a tough test for Bowyer's men, something the 44-year-old acknowledged as he said to the Northern Echo: "Middlesbrough is going to be a tough game. They are in some form at the minute.

"But it’s a game that if we go there with the attitude we’ve had in the last few weeks, then we’re a good team as well.

"We have to prepare right and if we turn up all fighting together then let’s see what happens."

The Verdict:

Birmingham's much-needed win at the weekend will give them a lot of confidence going into this tie against a side who have dealt with their injury problems well, but have only beaten struggling teams and will come up against a side with a lot of firepower up top.

On paper, the Blues should be competing at least around midtable and with the likes of Troy Deeney, Chuks Aneke, Scott Hogan and Lukas Jutkiewicz and their disposal, they should have more than enough quality to get past the Teesside outfit, even if they let one in at the other end.

Finding the right balance between remaining as tight as possible at the back and scoring for fun up top will be key to a successful 2021/22 campaign - and with the players they have at their disposal - there's no reason why they can't find it.

Dion Sanderson seems to be a shrewd temporary acquisition and looks set to be a key figure in central defence for the remainder of the season, with fellow loanee Tahith Chong and experienced forward Deeney likely to be a deadly combination up top as the West Midlands side look to establish themselves as serious competitors in the top tier.

There's no room for mediocrity anymore after the last five years of disappointment, now is the time for them to make a real statement of intent with a win at the Riverside on Saturday afternoon.