MIDDLESBROUGH head coach Kim Hellberg is confident that the club’s last two home performances and results will not seep into his promotion-chasing team’s mindset ahead of their Riverside meeting with Charlton Athletic.

The Addicks are the third successive side to visit who are currently at the wrong end of the Championship.

They are expected to follow the template of recent visitors Oxford United and Leicester City, with the struggling duo frustrating Boro and successfully operating a low block to dig out draws against the high-flying hosts.

For Boro, it has heightened the need to avoid a replication and find solutions should that transpire, amid an intense four-way fight for automatic promotion, with Hellberg’s side having still to play rivals Millwall and Ipswich Town before season’s end.

Middlesbrough manager Kim Hellberg celebrates following victory in the Sky Bet Championship match at MATRADE Loftus Road Stadium, London. Picture: Yui Mok/PA Wire.

placeholder image — Middlesbrough manager Kim Hellberg celebrates following victory in the Sky Bet Championship match at MATRADE Loftus Road Stadium, London. Picture: Yui Mok/PA Wire.

Hellberg said: "It doesn't make any difference for me; it's just about trying to prepare for the game as well as possible.

"I think we conceded one goal in the six home (games) or something like that, so it's been very good in that part.

"But we need to keep scoring goals. That's the name of the game, and we will try to do that again. Low block, high block, whatever.

"We're mainly preparing for trying to do a good performance. I don't think about the games we played in that way, it's just thinking forward."

Middlesbrough's Dael Fry celebrates his team winning a free kick during the Sky Bet Championship match at The Den, London. Picture: Flynn Duggan/PA Wire.

On what he expects from Charlton, he added: "It’s difficult to know. They are a high-pressing team that wants to go and work forward.

"We'll see if they do that here or if they sit back more. In general, most of the games are similar with them.

"If they are different - if they go man-to-man, if they go lower block, higher block - it's difficult to know actually.

"It's been difficult with all teams we play because they try to find solutions to stop us in different ways. So we will see, but I’m looking forward to the game.

“They are a physical team, they are an aggressive team. I think they're very good in their high pressing when they go for it.

"They have some good players; both players up up front have top quality in (Tyreece) Campbell and Lyndon Dykes, in different ways.

"So it's a good side. They've been strong, they have an aggressive team, and when they're good, they've been really, really good."

Hellberg confirmed that injured trio Alfie Jones, Sammy Silvera and Alex Bangura could be in contention for the trip to Blackburn on Saturday week, while defender Dael Fry, who came off in Sunday’s win at QPR, is not expected to be out for a spell, having come off at Loftus Road as a precaution.

Both Fry and Silvera are among the players who are out of contract at the club this summer.

Asked about the contractual situation regarding players whose deals expire in June, Hellberg added: "On contracts now, no I have other things to worry about.

"Probably (ask) Kieran (Scott) and the team - we talk about players all the time - but now is the not the time for me to think about that, I'm just focusing on the here (and now).

"There's other people who have those roles of course. We talk football and players all the time, so they know what I think about players and that stuff.

"But it's not for me to be so much involved in that, more than every day talking about football and what I think about the players and that stuff.”