The heartbeat of the Boro team, and whilst I wouldn't go so far as to say he is playing “hero ball” and trying to do everything himself, it is clear when you watch Boro live that Hackney is capable of doing anything for this team.

He wins the ball back more than anyone else, he carries the ball longer than anyone else, but, especially recently, he is also shooting more than anyone else.

His last two matches have seen him shoot on target five times. His shot on target per 90 ratio is only 0.72 per 90 over Middlesbrough’s last 30 games, but he is 2nd only to Tommy Conway when looking at Boro’s last five with 1.2 shots on target per 90.

He has landed this bet in his last two matches, and with the importance of this match for Middlesbrough, I can see him taking some shots on again here as it has been working for him and the team.

Esse has made an impact since signing on loan from Crystal Palace, even if the Coventry team in general seems to be on the slide.

Like Hackney, Esse has hit two shots on target in each of his last two starts, and actually has a slightly better seasonal average than Hackney at 1.04 shots on target per 90, albeit over a much smaller sample size.

Coventry always approach home matches on the front foot. Their expected goals figure at home over the season as a whole remains over 2 xG per match, and they average 5.6 shots on target per match at home as well.

Esse may not play the whole 90 minutes given the options at Frank Lampard’s disposal, though he did last weekend, but there is the potential for the likes of Brandon Thomas-Asante to be a super sub for Esse, too.