Kieran McKenna issues warning to Ipswich Town ahead of Middlesbrough clash | OneFootball

Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna has warned his side that they will need to be at their best if they want to get anything from today's clash against Middlesbrough, speaking to TWTD.

The Tractor Boys are in an excellent position ahead of kick-off, sitting in second place following an amazing start to the campaign.

A lot has been said about Leicester City and the start they have made, but Ipswich have been even more remarkable considering they were only promoted from League One a matter of months ago.

They didn't even win the third tier, but McKenna has been a success throughout his stay at Portman Road and is continuing to impress, with his coaching and the club's summer transfer business seemingly paying dividends for them.

How long they can remain in the top two remains to be seen - because they will face huge competition for an automatic promotion spot if recent results across the division are anything to go by.

Leeds United and Southampton are both winning regularly and that may make the Tractor Boys slightly nervous as they aim for back-to-back promotions.

They face an extremely tough task today, as they make the trip to the Riverside to face a strong Boro team.

The Teesside club may have suffered a poor start to the campaign, but they showed great mental strength to turn things around and they may even climb into the top six before the end of the campaign, with Michael Carrick impressing for much of his stay at Boro.

McKenna on Middlesbrough: "One of the strongest teams in this division"

Boro may have players unavailable for this clash - but McKenna has warned his team not to underestimate the size of the task they face today in their quest to secure another three points.

He said: "There are 46 games and they've certainly picked up good form over the last couple of months and at their best they are certainly one of the strongest teams in this division.

"And have a very good home record as well, so we're not under any illusions of the scale of the challenge ahead of us, and we know we're going to have to be our very, very best to get anything from the game."

Middlesbrough's game-changing players

With Isaiah Jones out of action, other players will need to step up to the plate in the final third to hurt the Tractor Boys' backline.

He will be such a miss considering the pace he has and how much of a threat he can be out wide.

But Emmanuel Latte Lath could be a difference maker for Boro after scoring twice at Leeds.

Now he's managed to get himself on the scoresheet, that should give him the confidence to kick on again and start scoring regularly.