Middlesbrough’s prospects of automatic promotion are dwindling with each passing week, with Saturday’s 1-0 home defeat to Portsmouth serving as the latest blow to the club’s Premier League ambitions.

Middlesbrough has been one of the best teams to watch in the Championship this season, but automatic promotion appears to be out of reach following a poor run of results.

Boro have gone winless in their past six league games, allowing Ipswich Town, their next opponents, to take advantage of their position in the top two.

When they visit Portman Road next Sunday, anything less than all three points will very probably end Middlesbrough’s aspirations of automatic promotion, with the play-offs looking like their best option at that point.

Ahead of their trip to Suffolk, Swedish manager Kim Hellberg has released an update on his squad’s ailments, which is not good news for Boro fans.

Kim Hellberg offers a troubling injury update ahead of the Ipswich clash.

Before their journey to Ipswich on Sunday, Hellberg issued an update on the availability of several of his team players.

Hayden Hackney, Morgan Whittaker, and Leo Castledine have all missed recent league games, with Hackney and Whittaker missing four and Castledine missing three, respectively.

To make matters worse, Matt Targett was only able to play 45 minutes in Saturday’s defeat to Portsmouth, with the Newcastle United loanee being substituted at halftime after being forced off against Millwall on Good Friday and missing the Easter trip to Swansea City.

Fellow left-back Alex Bangura was forced out in the first half of Boro’s match against Swansea, adding to the club’s injury list.

When asked after the Portsmouth defeat if Hackney, Whittaker, or Castledine would be involved at Ipswich, Hellberg replied, “I don’t know.”

Unsurprisingly, the Swede was pretty quiet in his post-match press conference, with Conor Chaplin’s late goal effectively ending their hopes of automatic promotion, and they now must travel to Suffolk on Sunday with three points as a minimum.

Along with the half-time withdrawals on Saturday at The Riverside was Ecuadorian winger Jeremy Sarmiento, whose unimpressive start to life on Teesside after joining on loan from Brighton and Hove Albion continues, while Alfie Jones remains absent.

Hellberg said of Sarmiento, “He had a hit on his knee, actually, so I think it was a combination that he couldn’t play through.”

With a week to rest, recuperate, and rehabilitate, Hellberg will be hoping and praying that Hackney and Whittaker are fit enough to return to the side when they go to Ipswich, as their absence has been felt cruelly recently.

Middlesbrough’s Premier League ambitions are far from finished, but a win at Ipswich is critical to keeping their automatic promotion aspirations alive, and the likes of Hackney, Whittaker, and Castledine can surely help if fit.

Middlesbrough will be holding their breath on the fitness of Hayden Hackney and Morgan Whittaker before the Ipswich clash.

Captain Hackney is almost certain to join the Premier League, with several top-tier clubs keeping an eye on his improvement ahead of a possible move this summer.

If Boro fail to get promotion, Hackney will almost probably play Premier League football next season, but he hopes to do so with his hometown club.

Despite his inconsistency, Whittaker is Boro’s top scorer this season with 11 goals and six assists, with neither Tommy Conway, David Strelec, Kaly Sene, nor Sontje Hansen filling in for him.

Castledine shined for Huddersfield Town in the first half of the season, while Targett has been one of the league’s top full-backs this season, and Sarmiento is unquestionably talented.

A fully healthy and firing Boro squad will be required for the remaining four games, as Hellberg and fans await the fitness of their big players.