Michael Carrick says Middlesbrough will attack the Championship run-in with everything they’ve got, as he challenged his players to use the potential rewards to fire them up for the final 20 games.

With Boro knocked out of the FA Cup last weekend at the hands of Blackburn Rovers, they now have a clear focus on their league campaign and trying to cement their top-six position to be in with a shot and winning promotion back to the Premier League.

With 20 games remaining, a crucial period for Boro and Carrick begins at Portsmouth on Saturday afternoon, with the Boro boss looking for his side to pick up their standards after a bit of a funk over the festive period which has seen them win just one of their last six games.

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Looking ahead, the Boro boss said: “I think the dynamics of a season change as you go through it, and you knock each chapter off as you go through it. We find ourselves now at a stage with a clear focus on the league.

“In many ways, it simplifies things, only focusing on one thing and taking it game by game and understanding what that brings and what is at stake. You have got to use that feeling, emotion, enjoyment and excitement to fire things up. I’m really looking forward to it as it’s all ahead of us and we will attack it with everything we have got.

“You try to put yourself in a position where something is possible and at the moment we are in a position where anything is possible, so I’m really excited about what is ahead. It’s up to us to go and do something about it.”

At this stage, Boro’s destiny is in their own hands. They sit sixth in the league table and now have to ensure they’re consistent enough to at the very least stay there come May. But that isn’t necessarily something to be celebrated, with genuine hope coming into the season, ultimately validated by the way the campaign has gone, that a weaker Championship field in general gave Boro a legitimate opportunity of challenging for automatic promotion.

On their day, Carrick’s side have proven they can be as good as any side in the division, but their trouble has been in producing their best often enough. Far too common has been dropping points in fixtures like this one at Fratton Park, where Boro go in as big favourites.

“I don’t think that you are ever fully happy,” Carrick assessed. “There are always things you want to improve on, iron out and help the boys with. So you are never fully happy until the end of the season when you’ve achieved what you want to, if I’m totally honest.

“There may be a small element after a good result but that moves quickly. We fully understand where we are, what we can and have been doing well, what we need to improve on, but I’m coming at it from a very excited position.

“You go through a season to put yourself in a position where something is possible and at the moment we are in a position where everything is possible. I’m really excited about what’s ahead and it’s up to us to go do something about it.”

Boro might be favourites for the game at Portsmouth, but the home side should by no means be underestimated. They may be second-bottom heading into the game, but only two teams in the bottom half of the table have scored more goals than John Mousinho’s side. What’s more, Fratton Park is always a test of character for any visiting player.

“Particularly at home, they have had some really good results,” Carrick previewed. “They have scored four goals a couple of times this season and they make it a tough place to go and get a result. We know the style of play and what kind of game they want. It’s up to us to adapt and be flexible with that and cope with it and imprint our mark on it as well.

“It’s a big challenge for us. The way they play, really aggressive, high energy, make it very difficult. It’s always been a challenging place to go. The make-up of the stadium, the supporters being like they are near the pitch makes it very tight and it’s the type I really enjoy.

“I’ve played down there a number of times, and I really like it. I enjoy the feel of the stadium. I think the supporters create a really good atmosphere when the team is playing. They are high-energy and quite aggressive, and that is something we have to deal with. We are looking forward to the challenge they are going to throw at us.

“It’s something the boys have to be ready for but it’s another one of those games that you can look at in terms of position and who is favourites going into the game and it’s totally irrelevant.”

It might be irrelevant on the day, but the tag is there for a reason. If Boro want to earn promotion this season, these are the kind of games they have to take maximum points from. With 20 games to, the time to start delivering is now.