IT might be a meaningless fixture on paper, but Middlesbrough head coach Aitor Karanka insists this afternoon’s dead rubber with Brighton could still have a significant impact on the club’s play-off hopes.

Boro entertain Brighton on the final day of the regular Championship season knowing there is no realistic possibility of them finishing in the top two and also no chance of them dropping out of the top six.

They could finish in third or fourth, but given that the identity of the clubs finishing fifth and sixth is still to be decided, there is not even an opportunity to size up who they could meet in the play-off semi-finals and act accordingly.

Nevertheless, Karanka insists there are still plenty of factors demanding a strong showing. The biggest Riverside crowd of the season is one reason why Boro’s players should not lack for motivation, and having lost at Fulham last weekend, there is also a need to achieve a positive result to ensure the Teessiders carry some momentum into next weekend’s play-off opener.

“We don’t want to be going into the play-offs on the back of two defeats,” said Karanka, whose side have not suffered back-to-back league defeats since the end of August. “This season, whenever we have had a bad defeat, we have always played well in the following game. I expect the game with Brighton to be a good one for us.

“I will be trying to choose the best XI I possibly can because I want to win and we want to finish the season strongly. I would prefer to finish the season in third position rather than fourth.

“It is important to win the game. If you knew who all the other teams were going to be, then maybe it would be possible to try to manage things. But that is not the case, so we just need to win the game.”

Given that he has previously spoken of his dislike for lunch-time kick-offs, there is an added incentive for Boro to win this afternoon and claim third position.

The team finishing third will take on the side who finish sixth on successive Friday nights (May 8 and 15), while the sides finishing fourth and fifth will meet on Saturday lunch-times (May 9 and 16).

There is a slight complication in that if Norwich and Ipswich meet, the games will have to take place on the Saturday on the advice of the police, but given their wretched record in lunch-time kick-offs this season, the easiest way for Boro to guarantee a more favourable slot is to beat Brighton and guarantee third position.

The logistics of the play-off schedule is just one of the things Karanka has to get to grips with as he experiences the unique demands of the Football League’s knock-out format for the first time, and the former Real Madrid assistant admits he will be taking something of a step into the unknown over the next couple of weeks.

“This is my first time (in the play-offs), and I am going to have to mange a lot of things,” he said. “The mentality is important because one mistake could be very, very expensive.

“But I still have one week to learn and to think about the play-offs. I am lucky to have an assistant (Steve Agnew) who knows all about what can happen in the play-offs. He won a few of the finals, so I will have to learn from him. He told me that it is an amazing time.”

Last season, Brighton secured a play-off spot on the final day of the season, only to suffer a heavy defeat to Derby over the two legs of the semi-final.

Twelve months on, and the Seagulls find themselves heading into the final day just two places clear of the drop zone, having flirted with relegation for the majority of the campaign.

That just shows how volatile the Championship can be, a point further underlined by Wigan’s relegation to League One this week, and as he prepares to make his play-off debut, Karanka fully accepts that the next three weeks could represent his and Middlesbrough’s one and only shot of winning promotion to the top-flight.

“It (Brighton’s experience) is a very good lesson for us as a squad and for the club,” he said. “You look at a team like Brighton, who played in the play-offs, and Wigan, who were in the Premier League two seasons ago and now they are relegated.

“Things can change very quickly. We need to make sure we enjoy this moment because it was very hard to get into this position. We have to be positive, but we also have to know how important it is for everyone to be playing in the play-offs.”