HAVING watched his side sweep to a comprehensive 4-0 win over Norwich City on Tuesday night, Middlesbrough head coach Aitor Karanka is hoping to see his side beat Bournemouth on Saturday to receive the morale boost of going to the top of the Championship table.

Boro host Bournemouth at the Riverside knowing that a victory would guarantee them topping the table during the forthcoming international break.

The last time Boro sat at the top of the Championship was two years ago, when Tony Mowbray's side beat Sheffield Wednesday on a Friday evening before slipping back to second 24 hours later.

Clearly, it is being at the top of the pile in May that is important, but Karanka agrees that taking over at the top of the table can have a positive effect no matter when it is achieved.

"It is always important to be in the highest position because then your confidence is better and the mood is improved," said the Boro boss. "This is a game with our direct rivals, and we are playing for the first position.

"It would be very good to win, but I always say the same, and that is that this league is very tight and very long. We will have to think about the game on Saturday, but after that game there are still a lot more games to go.

"It is very important though because we are at home and we are playing against a good team who I expected to be challenging for promotion right to the end."

While Boro were expected to be challenging at the top of the table following a summer that saw them recruit the likes of Kike, Patrick Bamford, Jelle Vossen and Adam Clayton, Bournemouth's ongoing promotion push has been rather more of a surprise.

Eddie Howe's side have won nine of their last ten matches in all competitions, but having watched them hold Boro to a goalless draw on the south coast in March, Karanka has not been shocked by the quality of their form this season.

"I liked them a lot last season," he said. "They have one of the best managers in the league. He grew up at the club and knows everything, and everybody knows him.

"He and his staff are doing a really good job. Last season was a surprise to me because it was the first season in the Championship (for Bournemouth), but for me, this season has not been a surprise.

"Maybe they are not a side where you can look through and see a lot of recognised names, but they are a very good team. They have the same philosophy as me, and you can feel that there is not one player above the team."

Boro have a clean bill of health ahead of Saturday's game, with Albert Adomah available after recovering from the knock that forced him off on Tuesday night.