Preview: Brentford vs. Middlesbrough

Two playoff candidates will meet in a lunchtime top-five Championship battle on Saturday as fifth-placed Brentford host third-placed Middlesbrough at Griffin Park.

The visitors will still be flying high following their stunning 2-0 victory over Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium to reach the fifth round of the FA Cup, but they will face another stern test this weekend.

The Bees' surprise bid to reach the top flight refuses to relent, and even automatic promotion is not out of the question at the moment, with just two points separating them from league leaders Bournemouth.

The Cherries are in action on Friday night, but any slip-up at home to Watford would give both of these sides the chance to move top for a few hours at least with victory in the early kickoff.

Both teams go into the game in good form, with the home side having halted a run of three straight defeats over the festive period before it did too much damage. They have now won three on the bounce, but none of those by more than a one-goal margin.

The most recent of those victories came last Saturday as, free from FA Cup duties, the Bees edged to a 2-1 victory away to playoff rivals Norwich City, with Alex Pritchard getting the winning goal from the spot.

Even so, they will be happy to be back at Griffin Park, where they have lost just twice in the league all season and picked up 27 points, a tally only Derby County, Middlesbrough and Ipswich Town can beat.

Revenge could also be a driving factor for Mark Warburton's side, who fell to their heaviest defeat of the season at the hands of Boro in the reverse fixture last September.

The visitors will know that they are coming up against a side bang in form too, with no team in the Championship having amassed more points over the last 10 games than Brentford.

Andre Gray's goals have won a league-high 11 points for his side this season, and he will once again start up front amid speculation linking the club with a move for Carlton Cole.

Scott Hogan and Alan McCormack remain sidelined and Warburton could opt to name an unchanged XI despite new loan signing Chris Long pushing for a first start since joining from Everton.

Boro find themselves one point better off than their hosts and went a long way to proving their promotion credentials with the shock win over Premier League champions Manchester City on an incredible day of FA Cup action last Saturday.

Having won at the Etihad, Aitor Karanka's side will be full of confidence that they can pick up a fourth straight victory and extend their unbeaten run to eight matches in all competitions.

The basis for their fine form has been a solid defence, with Boro having kept six clean sheets and conceded just one goal in their current seven-game unbeaten run.

It is now only one defeat in 16 matches in all competitions for the visitors and, with both Bournemouth and Derby also facing potentially tricky assignments this weekend, three points in this match could prove to be crucial come May.

Only three teams have picked up more away points than Middlesbrough this season, while they have not even conceded a goal in their last four outings on the road.

Karanka could already have one eye on a fifth-round FA Cup tie with holders Arsenal but, with Blackpool in their next league game, he is unlikely to rest any players this weekend despite a busy schedule.

Even so, changes could be made to the side that stunned Man City, while Daniel Ayala will definitely miss out through suspension. New signing Adam Forshaw is unlikely to be included from the start, while the match also comes too soon for long-term injury absentee Mustapha Carayol.

Brentford:

Form in Championship: WLLWWW Form in all competitions: LLLWWW

Possible starting lineup: Button; Odubajo, Tarkowski, Dean, Bidwell; Diagouraga, Douglas, Jota, Pritchard, Dallas; Gray

Middlesbrough:

Form in Championship: LWDDWW Form in all competitions: DWDWWW

Possible starting lineup: Konstantopoulos; Kalas, Omeruo, Gibson, Friend; Adomah, Leadbitter, Whitehead, Tomlin; Bamford; Vossen

Sports Mole says: 1-1