Aitor Karanka in relaxed mood ahead of Middlesbrough's game in hand

Middlesbrough head coach Aitor Karanka has insisted there is no pressure on his promotion-chasing players as they attempt to return to the top of the Sky Bet Championship table.

Boro head for struggling MK Dons on Tuesday evening knowing even a draw in their game in hand on leaders Hull, who currently occupy first place only by virtue of goal difference, would see them leapfrog the Tigers.

Victory would give them a three-point lead and stretch the gap to third-placed Burnley to four, but Karanka is adamant that should not weigh heavily on their shoulders.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference, he said: "I don't think it's a pressure. We are in a privileged position with the same points as the team at the top of the table.

"We are one point clear of third position having played two games fewer than the team in third and one fewer than the top team, so, for that reason, I don't think it's a pressure.

"We know what happened in the last game and for that reason, I am expecting a good reaction. MK Dons are fighting to stay in the Championship - they played really well against us and it was a tough game for us when we played there, so it's going to be a tough challenge again.

"But we have to go there and try to recover again our consistency and our confidence on the pitch."

The Teessiders' confidence may well have been dented by a run of three league games which has brought just a single point, and that courtesy of David Nugent's late equaliser against Blackburn on Saturday with both Bristol City and Nottingham Forest having previously condemned them to defeat.

However, Karanka said: "I am pleased now because even though we have lost eight points in the last three games, we are in a really good position."

The Spaniard declined to reveal whether or not £9million January signing Jordan Rhodes, who was used only as a 77th-minute substitute against his former club, will be handed a first start at Stadium MK, although he did confirm that defender Daniel Ayala will miss the game with an ankle injury.

If Boro are battling at one end of the table, their hosts face a very different fight at the other with Saturday's 0-0 draw at Cardiff easing some of the pain of a 5-1 home FA Cup defeat by Chelsea, but leaving them just two points clear of the drop zone.

Manager Karl Robinson could hand a debut to striker Alex Revell, who was unable to play against his former employers at the weekend, while Jay Emmanuel-Thomas will hope for a start after making his first appearance as a substitute against the Bluebirds following his loan move from QPR.