ONLY one Championship team have scored more goals than Middlesbrough so far this season but, on the flip side, today's visitors Sheffield Wednesday are the only team in the top half to have conceded more than Michael Carrick's side.

An immediate conclusion is to expect goals at the Riverside this afternoon.

But what about the bigger picture for Boro?

Carrick's side have clicked in attack in the last couple of months and have scored 24 goals in their last nine outings. But they've only kept one clean sheet in their last 11.

It could be argued that taking the shackles off in attack has left Boro more vulnerable in defence, but that's not a discussion Carrick will entertain.

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"I don't think it should be one or the other," he said.

"When I say that, just because you're an attacking team doesn't mean you should concede more goals and vice versa. I think it's, in many ways, two separate things. We need to get that right.

"It doesn't necessarily mean we need to stop attacking because the type of goals we’ve conceded are not really from that in the main. It's not like we've over-committed loads of bodies forward. It's more managing moments really, and just being that little bit tighter and a little bit better when we have to do that.

"There are loads of little details that if you end up getting them right, it ends up becoming quite a big thing. We speak about a lot - every every little action, every little movement, every little situation within the game, if you get it right, you don't quite get it right, can then snowball onto the next one and swing the momentum both ways.

"So some of the littlest details can end up becoming quite important. We’re striving to get it right. The boys are training well. They want to improve. They want to learn. We've got to keep going better."

Today's visitors Sheffield Wednesday have only lost one of their last seven games and head for Teesside just three points behind Boro in the Championship table - and Carrick says the fans have a big part to play at the sold out Riverside.

“It’s a very tough game," said Carrick.

"They're a really good team and on a really good run.

"It's great to play in front of a sold-out Riverside. It's great that we know that going into the game.

"It's an important time here and it's important that the supporters come and are excited and looking to be entertained first and foremost. Obviously, that comes with results as well, and it's up to us to do that. But it's fantastic to know that, and the boys will be looking forward to it massively."