Regis Le Bris admits Middlesbrough’s new options make it a little harder to prepare for Monday evening’s game, with the Sunderland boss hoping to guide his side to a league double over Boro after the 1-0 win at the Stadium of Light earlier in the season.

Boro have struggled all season with teams who sit in a low-block against them defensively, and, indeed, it’s the exact curveball that Sunderland’s French boss deployed on Wearside as Chris Rigg’s goal decided the reverse fixture. Ahead of Monday’s clash at the Riverside though, Boro have strengthened their attacking options.

While Kelechi Iheanacho and Samuel Iling-Junior won’t sign in time to be involved, Boro will have Ryan Giles and Morgan Whittaker available to bolster their attacking avenues. On top of that, with Emmanuel Latte Lath leaving and some injuries in the squad, it’s not as easy to predict exactly how Michael Carrick will line-up his Boro side for the game.

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“Middlesbrough’s style of play and identity is clear and strong – they are positive with the ball and can be dominant,” Le Bris said. “It will be a tough challenge – they are a stable team. We know their strengths which makes it easier to prepare, but to execute, it is difficult, because they are doing very well on the pitch.

“The one element we aren’t certain of is who will play. It is another tough but exciting challenge for us, and I hope we will be at the level we have been so far.”

Sunderland arrive on Teesside 11 points better off than Boro and still in the top-two race. But having only drawn 2-2 with Plymouth Argyle last weekend, they can ill-afford to drop too many more points and lose further ground on the sides above them.

Potentially offering insight into what Boro might expect from Sunderland’s approach, given Le Bris has proven far more flexible than Carrick, the Sunderland boss said: “There is plenty of room for improvement everywhere. We had massive possession, first half especially [against Plymouth], and we had the challenge of trying to break down the low block.

“We created some chances but maybe allowed ourselves to get too frustrated. But at the same time, if you attack to try and create more and create an imbalance but don’t score, you can be punished, particularly if the opponent is confident in their game plan. We have a young team who have had to face many challenges. We still have to improve many elements in our game, but it’s a process that we have to continue with.”