This Saturday, Middlesbrough host Norwich City at the Riverside Stadium, seeking to show a response after Easter Monday's 2-1 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday.
Michael Carrick's side took an early lead at Hillsborough through Finn Azaz, yet saw their hopes of leapfrogging Coventry City into sixth position in the Sky Bet Championship standings snatched from them as Wednesday staged a second half comeback.
The Teesside outfit will likely need all three points on Saturday if they are to be confident of extending their season beyond the final day, and will hope to go one better than the entertaining 3-3 played out at Carrow Road in this season's reverse fixture in October.
Norwich City travel to the Riverside having also suffered defeat on Easter Monday, but the situation in Norfolk is far more turbulent. Following a 3-1 submission away to Millwall that only extended their dismal run of one win from their last ten Championship outings, Danish head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup was untimely dismissed from the dugout.
Thorup only signed a three-year deal with the Norfolk side in May last year, but has seen both performances and results fall off a cliff of late. Despite some autumn promise of staging a promotion bid, Thorup failed to convince the club's sporting director and new American owners that he was the man to take them forward.
Thorup's dismissal leaves former Arsenal midfielder and current Norwich coach Jack Wilshere in temporary charge for the final two fixtures of the season, and will become the fourth youngest coach to lead a game in Championship history.
At such an early stage, it is uncertain who Knapper will select as the side's next permanent manager, but Wilshere will approach the final two games as opportunity to impress and kickstart his senior coaching career.
-
Team news
Middlesbrough
In his press conference on Thursday afternoon, Carrick urged that promotion is "still in [their] hands" and that these final two fixtures feel like "clean slates".
The Englishman hinted that Jonny Howson may be shifted back into his natural midfield position for the visit of his former side, following the recent returns of both Dael Fry and George Edmundson in central defence.
Fellow defender Darragh Lenihan also returned to the Middlesbrough match day squad for the first time in eighteen months on Easter Monday, but Carrick has since admitted it will be unlikely the Irishman sees any action until the new season. However, he noted that Lenihan's experience will be of huge help to the rest of the group as they seek to clinch promotion to the Premier League.
Elsewhere, midfielder Riley McGree is not quite ready for a return to the squad after missing the last two outings. However, Carrick is hopeful McGree can return for what may well prove the decider for sixth in Coventry on the final day.
Liverpool loanee Ben Doak remains out, having not featured since January and undergone thigh surgery last month. The young Scot, who ran the show in the reverse fixture in October, is unlikely to feature for the remainder of the season, even if Middlesbrough make the playoffs.
Full-backs Luke Ayling and Neto Borges remain out for the final two games of the campaign, while Alex Bangura is still a long term absentee.
Norwich
The Canaries seemingly made it through Monday's fixture without suffering any further injury issues - very much a rarity this season. However, Wilshere will address the media as interim head coach for the first time at 1pm tomorrow, with the travelling Norwich faithful hoping no further injuries have been sustained since the start of the week.
However, the announcement of Monday's lineup was met with confusion among the three thousand Canaries fans who had made the trip to London, as Czech winger Matěj Jurásek was once again left out - despite Thorup insisting he would be fit to feature from the bench.
Jurásek was Norwich's marquee signing in the January transfer window, arriving for a hefty sum of €7 million from Slavia Prague. However, the Czech international had not featured for the Chance Liga outfit for a number of months, and recurring fitness issues have limited him to just 83 minutes of Championship action since his arrival.
Fellow attacker Ante Crnac will be hoping to be fit enough to feature again this season, having suffered an ankle injury in defeat at Home Park at the beginning of April. Elsewhere, it is still unclear who will start between the sticks for Wilshere's side, with usual number one Angus Gunn having recently been unavailable following the birth of his child.
Thorup dropped Gunn's deputy George Long for young Chilean Vicente Reyes at Millwall, but the youngster hardly impressed as his side leaked three. It is also unclear whether Gunn's imminent departure (the club reportedly opting not to renew his expiring contract) has affected his availability. Wilshere may want to prioritise giving youth some vital Championship experience as the season draws to a close, and not just in the goalkeeping department.
Defenders Ben Chrisene, Lucien Mahovo, and Kellen Fisher, as well as winger Lewis Dobbin, all remain out for the final two.
-
Predicted lineups
Middlesbrough
Travers; Dijksteel, van den Berg, Howson (c), Iling-Junior; Hackney, Morris; Burgzorg, Iheanacho, Azaz; Conway
Norwich
Gunn; Stacey, Duffy, Córdoba, Doyle; McLean (c), Wright, Núñez; Schwartau, Sargent, Sainz
-
Players to watch
Middlesbrough - Tommy Conway
Tommy Conway hasn't enjoyed the most prolific season for Middlesbrough, but if there is any Championship team a striker would back themselves to score against, it is The Canaries.
In fact, the Scot was only denied a hat-trick in October's reverse fixture by a Long penalty save.
Norwich - Who knows?
There is very much a layer of uncertainty currently surrounding the Norwich camp, in what has already been a turbulent, unpredictable campaign.
Top scorer Borja Sainz has only netted twice since the end of November, while Josh Sargent, probably the best striker in the division, has been almost invisible in games of late.
Young starlets like Amankwah Forson, Oscar Schwartau, and Ruairi McConville all found game time very limited under Thorup, a manager who promised to develop youth upon joining the club. Even Manchester City loanee Wright, who has been by far Norwich's best performer this month, struggled for game time for a period after his arrival.
On the other side of the spectrum, experienced professionals such as Onel Hernández and Duffy have embarrassed themselves both on and off the pitch in recent times. Will Wilshere do as his predecessor promised and prioritise developing youngsters, or will he continue to play the likes of Duffy who have downed tools?
-
Match details
Where is the game being played?
The game will take place at the Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough.
What time is kick-off?
Kick-off is at 15:00 GMT on Saturday 26th April.
How can I watch?
The game will not be televised in the United Kingdom. Highlights will be available to watch after full-time.
