Who could Middlesbrough face in play-offs?

Chief Sports Writer Scott Wilson looks at who they might face, and assesses their strengths and weaknesses

ASTON VILLA

(Middlesbrough will face Aston Villa if they win or draw against Ipswich, or if they lose and Derby either lose to Barnsley, draw, or win but fail to overturn a three-goal margin on goal difference)

The likeliest scenario by far is that Boro will face Aston Villa in their play-off semi-final. Steve Bruce’s side are guaranteed to finish in fourth position no matter what they do in their final game against Millwall, and Boro will finish fifth if they take anything from Ipswich. Even if they lose at Portman Road, they could still finish above Derby.

Villa have had something of a topsy-turvy season, but secured their play-off place largely as a result of a strong run of form at the start of this year.

They were in a state of turmoil when Boro knocked them out of the EFL Cup in September, with fans at Villa Park calling for Bruce’s head after a run of just one win from five matches.

October’s home win over Fulham helped steady the ship, and after losing at Brentford on Boxing Day, Villa won ten of their next 13 games, a run that propelled them to the fringe of the automatic promotion places.

Strengths: Villa’s main asset is their extensive experience. In the likes of John Terry, James Chester, Glenn Whelan and Robert Snodgrass, Bruce can call on a core of players that have played in much bigger games than the ones they will experience later this month.

Lewis Grabban is one of the most effective strikers in the Championship, boasting 20 goals for Villa and Sunderland this season, and former Boro winger Albert Adomah has been in fine attacking form all campaign. Throw in exciting midfield duo Jack Grealish and Conor Hourihane, and you have the makings of a strong attacking unit.

Weaknesses: Villa’s defence might boast plenty of experience, but it is short on pace. Terry and Chester have been exposed on occasion this season, and both Adama Traore and Britt Assombalonga will fancy their chances of causing problems.

Villa’s away form isn’t always the most reliable, and they have lost at Fulham, Bolton and Norwich in the last two-and-a-half months. If they play Boro in the play-offs, the first leg is guaranteed to be at the Riverside. Might Boro be able to forge a healthy lead to take to Villa Park?

FULHAM

(Middlesbrough will face Fulham if they lose at Ipswich and are overtaken by Derby, while Fulham lose to Birmingham or either win or draw their final game but fail to overtake Cardiff)

If Boro don’t end up facing Aston Villa, the likelihood is that they will find themselves up against Fulham in their play-off semi-final. The London club could still clamber above Cardiff to claim an automatic promotion place, but go into the weekend a point behind their rivals for a top-two finish.

For much of the first half of the season, it wasn’t guaranteed that Fulham would even claim a play-off place, let alone find themselves battling for automatic promotion.

Slavisa Jokanovic’s side only won five of their first 18 Championship matches, and the Serb was battling to hold on to his job as Christmas approached.

Their form has been completely transformed since the turn of the year though, and they have won 16 of their 20 league games in 2018. That still might not be enough to pip Cardiff, but it means they would be extremely dangerous opponents in the play-offs.

Strengths: Fulham’s side is full of pace and energy, with Ryan Sessegnon deservedly having claimed the Championship Player of the Year crown. Former Boro full-back Ryan Fredericks is almost as effective on the opposite flank, and the Cottagers are capable of attacking from all areas of the field.

In Newcastle United loanee Aleksandar Mitrovic, they also boast a striker who has been in sensational form in the second half of the season. Mitrovic’s winner against Sunderland last Friday was his 12th goal in his last 14 games.

Weaknesses: They are great going forward, but Fulham have a tendency to leak goals. Neither Tim Ream nor Denis Odoi is the most reliable of centre-halves, and with their full-backs desperate to push forward, the Cottagers can leave gaps at the back.

They have spent the last month or so pushing for automatic promotion, so if they were to miss out, how would they deal with the disappointment of finding themselves in the play-offs? The team finishing third in the Championship tends to have a poor play-off record.

CARDIFF CITY

(Middlesbrough will face Cardiff if they lose at Ipswich and are overtaken by Derby, while Cardiff fail to beat Reading and are overtaken by Fulham)

Of the three potential scenarios that could unfold this weekend, a play-off semi-final between Boro and Cardiff is by far the least likely. If Cardiff win their final game at home to Reading, they will finish second and miss the end-of-season shootout. Even if they were to finish third, they would only face Boro if the Teessiders were to drop below Derby.

It is not impossible for both of those things to occur though, and if Boro were to find themselves taking on Cardiff, they would be taking on a well-drilled side that have confounded expectations all season.

Neil Warnock’s side started like a house on fire, winning their first five league games, and while most pundits expected them to drop away, they have remained in the automatic promotion mix all term.

They had a slight wobble at the start of last month, failing to win for three games in a row, but displayed impressive resolve to win at Hull last weekend despite Fulham having gone above them 24 hours earlier.

Strengths: Neil Warnock has fashioned a Cardiff team that is much greater than the sum of its parts, with organisation and work rate key factors in the Bluebirds’ success. Every player in the Cardiff team knows his role, and they have proved adept at winning tight matches.

They are defensively solid – only champions Wolves have conceded fewer goals this season – and are extremely strong from set-pieces, as proved by last weekend’s win at the KCOM Stadium.

Weaknesses: Having been in the top two for the vast majority of the season, Cardiff’s players would be understandably devastated if they were to drop into the play-offs on the final day. Lifting his side in that scenario would be quite a challenge for Warnock.

Cardiff’s squad lacks big-game experience, and handling the pressure-cooker environment of the play-offs would be a step into the unknown.