Four-match target for Karanka

The Teessiders, who currently top the Sky Bet Championship table by a point, head for in-form Nottingham Forest on Saturday before facing fellow promotion contenders Ipswich, Derby and Bournemouth in the space of eight days.

Asked if that run of fixtures could define the club's season, head coach Karanka said: "Yes, of course, the following four games are massive for us. But if you see the fixtures everybody has the same fixtures.

"We have to play each other, the teams at the top of the table, so we have to think about ourselves and we have to think about the Nottingham Forest game on Saturday and after that game, we have a week to prepare for the other three games.

"Now I am thinking about the Nottingham game. I know we have three important games in two weeks and they can be very, very important, but I can't think what is going to happen against Bournemouth until we have played against Nottingham Forest, Ipswich and Derby before.

"I prefer to think about Nottingham Forest, then after that Ipswich. I don't need to remind anybody that we have very important games the following week."