This upcoming Easter weekend brings about two games in the space of three days for Championship clubs. Middlesbrough have one of the toughest challenges over the extended break as we have to face the two teams directly below us in the league. Both clubs will be doing all they can to leapfrog us, which has the potential to make or break our season.

The Easter period is set to be a tale of two city's for Boro, as Saturday sees eighth-placed Cardiff visit the Riverside, before we travel to the KC Stadium on Bank Holiday Monday to face Hull. Boro won both of the reverse fixtures this season and we desperately need to do the double, twice in a row, if we are to keep our dwindling play-off hopes alive. Only one goal could separate us during both of those two games, which were hard-fought to say the least, so a tough weekend is definitely in store. Back in early December we had just won our last two games and we were about to play the identical fixtures as to now, against Cardiff and Hull in the space of three days. We came from behind to win 3-2 against the Bluebirds at the creatively named Cardiff City Stadium. Two days later we stole all three points from visitors Hull thanks to an unstoppable 87^th-minute wonder-goal from Barry Robson, one of the best I have seen this season.

Form is everything in this league, but it’s something Boro currently lack. We haven’t experienced a win for six games now, over a month, and we've picked up four consecutive 1-1 draws. Luckily, Cardiff and Hull are also going through dry patches without wins. Like Boro, Cardiff have drawn their last four games. Three of their stalemates were on home turf though, whereas we picked up three of ours on the road, against arguably tougher opposition. The regular play-off finalists are yet to win promotion to the Premier League so they will be going all out to earn another top six spot. The Tigers on the other hand may have little hope for a play-off place now. The recently relegated side have lost four on the bounce now, two of them being against relegation candidates, and have conceded eight goals and scored just one.

We did extremely well away to Hull last season under Tony Mowbray, winning 4-2, so I definitely fancy our chances on Monday. Unfortunately, I am not as sure about Saturday. Ever since our FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Cardiff in 2008, they have definitely been one of our bogey-teams. It got to the point where I started to expect the worst and tended to write us off before a ball had even been kicked. However, I have been pleasantly surprised the last couple of seasons as a shift in power has seen us take all nine points from Cardiff during the last three head-to heads, managing to score seven in the process.

To say tomorrow is a huge game would be an understatement. Both teams will be extremely eager to get back to winning ways and take a huge step towards cementing a place in the top six. Three points could give us that boost we need to finish the season off in style, like last year, but defeat will see us slide even further adrift from the play-off chasing pack.

We fans are at the point now where it’s almost impossible to not check your phone every five minutes during a match to find out how the teams around you are getting on. However, it will all become clear by Tuesday night as only four or five games will be left to play in the league. The teams with the strongest chances of taking that leap towards top-flight football should become apparent.

If Boro are in the mix then it will have largely been down to two good performances and a minimum of four points from Cardiff and Hull during the Easter weekend. If not then who knows where we will be, potentially in 11^th place with no hope until next season.

All I know is that this is a make or break weekend, so Boro better be up for a battle.

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