Middlesbrough vs Wolves: Inside track on Tony Pulis' men

Luke Hatfield spoke with Dominic Shaw, Boro reporter for GazetteLive, to find out all about Tony Pulis' men.

Wolves obviously got the better of Boro at the start of this season, do you think they will have that game in their thinking this time around?

No, I wouldn't have thought so.

First things first, that was the first day of the season so Boro came across Wolves before they really hit their stride.

There wasn't much between the sides on the day and the game was settled by that Daniel Ayala mistake for the Wolves goal.

Tony Pulis has stepped into Boro and has had a great impact recently, how has he changed things at the club since stepping in, and what's been key to their recent form under him?

The word I'd use is 'clarity'.

Boro often looked confused under Garry Monk and it was difficult to put your finger on what sort of team Boro were trying to become.

When Pulis came in there was an expectation that he'd tighten things up at the back and perhaps go back to basics.

He's added some much-needed steel but there's more to Boro than organisation under Pulis.

He's bringing the very best out of one of the most exciting players in the division in Adama Traore, and Patrick Bamford is beginning to look like the striker who won the Player of the Year award at this level three seasons ago.

It should be said that Bamford only got his chance up-front after an injury to Rudy Gestede. But how he's grasped that opportunity.

Adama Traore is a man who's been very impressive in this run, could he be a major problem for Wolves given the form he's in?

Absolutely. He's terrified defences in recent weeks and has been an absolute joy to watch.

The promise and potential was always there but now he's starting to look like the full package. There's consistency and a final ball.

Opposition teams have tried putting two or three men on him but haven't had much luck.

Traore vs Douglas should make for compelling viewing.

Have Boro done much transfer business through January? Could their business play a part in the game?

The one signing who's made a real difference is Mo Besic, who arrived on loan from Everton.

He's quickly established himself as a key man in the Boro midfield and, to put it bluntly, looks to be too good for the Championship.

Again, him vs Neves could go a long way to determining the outcome of the game.

Are there any injury worries for Pulis heading into this game?

Rudy Gestede is out for the season so won't feature and Jack Harrison returned early from the England Under-21s this week due to an abdominal injury. It's not yet clear whether he'll be available.

Patrick Bamford, Daniel Ayala and Mo Besic were all carrying niggles before the break but should be fine.

Wolves have had a hard time of things at Boro in what's quite a hoodoo, do you think there's any reason behind this, and do you think it'll be in either side's thinking going into the game?

These quirks often crop up in football but I'm always adamant that it won't be in the thinking of the players.

I can't imagine Ruben Neves and Diogo Jota will be overly concerned about Wolves' record on Teesside.

I never read too much into these things.

How do you expect Boro to face up against the league leaders?

Boro have served up some thrilling, free-flowing football at the Riverside of late and over the past month or so finally look to have found their feet.

Their run of six games without defeat, however, has come against sides who you'd expect them to be beating.

Boro's record against the teams in and around them or above them has been wretched this season but with some tough tests to come it's an issue that will have to be addressed in the remaining weeks of the season.

What do you make of Wolves' promotion credentials, judging by what you've seen, could they cut it in the Premier League?

Well they're up, aren't they.

Regardless of what happens at the Riverside on Friday night, there's no way Wolves will blow it from here.

As for next season, I'd fully expect Nuno to be backed in the transfer market. I've been hugely impressed with how quickly and impressively he's moulded this Wolves team together.

Your match prediction?

Score draw.

You can follow Dominic on Twitter by searching for @DomShawGazette.