MO BESIC and George Friend are both major fitness doubts ahead of Middlesbrough’s weekend game with Barnsley.

The pair will both have to undergo late fitness tests before they are selected for tomorrow’s game at the Riverside, having picked up knocks in Tuesday’s 1-0 win at Birmingham City.

“Besic has a little hamstring problem that we’re looking at, and we won’t know until tomorrow whether he’s okay,” said Boro boss Tony Pulis. “George Friend has also got a little problem, so we won’t know until tomorrow with him either.

“It’s the amount of games that the lads are playing, and the travel, that sometimes catches you. Mo has been fantastic for us, but he hasn’t played many games over the past year or so, so we have to be a little bit careful.”

Grant Leadbitter is unavailable tomorrow as a he completes a two-match suspension, but Pulis feels the enforced absence could prove a blessing a disguise if it ensures the midfielder is in peak form for the final nine games of the campaign.

“Grant will hopefully be fit for the Brentford game, but obviously he’ll miss this one,” he said.  “The couple of weeks break will do him the world of good.”

Tuesday’s win at St Andrew’s lifted Boro back into the play-off positions, and Pulis is looking forward to seeing how his players deal with the new pressure of trying to remain in the top six.

“They’re a good group and a group that enjoy working together,” said the Boro boss. “They’ve really gelled, but it’s now up to them. We’ve given ourselves a great chance, but it’s up to them as a group to see it through.

“Sometimes, you have to pass the responsibility to the players. It’s eventually them that cross the line and have to do the business, and they’ve picked the baton up. Long may that continue.”