Middlesbrough make the long trip to the south coast as they take on fellow promotion candidates AFC Bournemouth this afternoon, with three points potentially crucial for both sides.

Boro will be desperate to get a win on the board following consecutive home losses, suffering a narrow defeat against Fulham before Keane Lewis-Potter secured Hull City a shock 1-0 win at the Riverside last weekend.

These results have been a setback in their quest to finish in the top six, though they still have a game in hand over Sheffield United who currently sit in sixth place and three points above Chris Wilder's men.

 

 

They aren't the only side under pressure in the promotion race though, with their opponents Bournemouth needing to keep a close eye on Nottingham Forest as the Cherries look to seal a top-two spot and with that, a place back in the Premier League at the second time of asking.

More wobbles could put their current position in danger, so there is a huge amount of pressure on both teams going into this clash at the Vitality Stadium as the season draws to a close.

Focusing more on the visitors in this piece, we list a few dilemmas facing Wilder ahead of kick-off.

Stick or twist in the goalkeeping department

Lumley will know he made a huge error for Lewis-Potter's goal last weekend - and although his view was partially blocked - the fact he couldn't make any contact with the ball whatsoever is a particular source of disappointment.

Unfortunately, the 27-year-old has been questioned many times this season for some of his goalkeeping, often looking nervous and this is the worst possible thing for Boro in their quest to win a place in the top tier.

At this stage of the season though, is it a good idea to bring in Luke Daniels who hasn't made a single first-team appearance since December? Lumley's starting spot is in danger when the next window comes around - but Daniels doesn't exactly look like a starting option for the long term either.

There may come a point where the current first-choice shot-stopper needs to come out of the starting lineup just to take him out of the spotlight for a while - but Daniels would benefit from having a run of games under his belt going into a potential play-off campaign so it may be worth making that switch now.

Who comes out for Jones?

Wilder has confirmed key man Jones will be available once more after missing the last two games through illness and considering how much of a crucial player he is, you certainly wouldn't bet against him being in the starting lineup.

Considering the nature of his absence too, there's no chance of him aggravating an injury and that's another reason why he's likely to bypass the bench and go straight back into the first 11.

With this, Wilder will need to decide which player to bring out to accommodate the 22-year-old and there are a couple of candidates who are in danger of losing their place.

One of those players is Riley McGree, who didn't disgrace himself on the afternoon but perhaps could have been more effective later in the game. McGree losing his spot would enable Marcus Tavernier to move back into midfield.

But the favourite to be dropped at this stage is Matt Crooks, who didn't perform well, was booked for his troubles and was taken off before the hour-mark.

Time for a shake-up in the attacking department?

One position where they are particularly blessed with options is in the forward department, with Aaron Connolly and Folarin Balogun starting regularly together since joining in January.

However, they also have Andraz Sporar, Duncan Watmore and Josh Coburn all available as options off the bench, with all proving to be valuable to the cause this term and all could play a big part between now and the end of the season if given the opportunity to shine.

The Fulham match showed Wilder wasn't afraid of changing things with Watmore and Sporar starting against the Cottagers.

Last weekend's partnership of Connolly and Balogun didn't work well against the Tigers - but is it really beneficial to keep chopping and changing in this area?

Watmore and Coburn both showed promise when they came off the bench against Shota Arveladze's men, making this dilemma a particularly tricky one for the Teesside outfit's manager who will want to see his side on the scoresheet after firing blanks in their last two matches.

They have also scored in just two of their last six games, a potential worry for Wilder.