Middlesbrough boss Kim Hellberg says he is "looking forward" to the challenge Charlton will provide them after going to the top of the Championship last weekend. The 150 year old league leaders return to action eight days after their thumping 5-1 win at Bolton last Friday, in which striker Will Lankshear took his Championship goal tally to 11, while the club have now racked up 27 goals in their first 12 league games.
"You could see on the training pitch there was a lot of
positive energy from the players because of the performance [against
Bolton]," Hellberg told BBC Radio Tees.
"It gives you a good platform to go out and do a good
training, which we have done. Again, there were things that we want to improve
from the game, and there were things that we did very, very good. We go through everything as normal and try to
put the right foot in front of the left one and keep walking forward.”
"They [Charlton] are a good side and have a very good
coach. I am really looking forward to the challenge on Saturday and to keep
improving".
Hellberg also confirmed fit-again striker David Strelec is
in contention to face Charlton on Saturday.
Slovakian international Strelec has played just 10 minutes of
Championship football this season and has been missing from Boro's matchday
squad since their draw with Birmingham last month.
"I think David is a top striker. He has so much
quality, and I am very happy having him back now," Helberg said.
Middlesbrough have won 10 of their past 14 league games
against Charlton Athletic (D2 L2), keeping six clean sheets across the past 10. The Addicks won this exact fixture 1-0 last
season and will be looking for successive away league wins over Middlesbrough
for the first time since April 1965.
Middlesbrough are unbeaten in their past 10 league games (W6
D4). They last had a longer run between March and August 2016 (13), and last
did so within the same season in 2011-12 (unbeaten in first 11).
Having won their first three league games this season,
Charlton are now winless in nine (D5 L4). The only team in English Football
League history to win their opening three games and then have a 10-game winless
run are Blackburn Rovers in 1986-87.
Middlesbrough have scored 27 goals across their opening 12
league games this season, last netting more at this stage of a campaign in
1959-60 (30).
We have been told that Charlton have trained well this week, but we have heard that before.
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