ALAN LEE is confident Huddersfield Town will handle the big-match atmosphere at Middlesbrough tonight.

The Championship showdown at the Riverside Stadium looks set to attract a 20,000-plus crowd.

And experienced Lee reckons a sizeable audience will once again bring out the best in Simon Grayson’s side, who host neighbours Leeds in an eagerly-awaited derby on Saturday.

“It’s one of a string of great fixtures coming up,” said Lee of the first clash between the clubs since 1997-98, when Boro did the double over Peter Jackson’s team.

Town, in fact, have been beaten in their last six meetings with the Teessiders, their last win against them coming on New Year’s Day 1986.

Joey Jones clinched a 1-0 victory at the old Ayresome Park, where Town memorably clinched promotion from Division II, now the Championship, with a 1-1 draw back in April 1970.

Lee is confident Simon Grayson’s 10th-placed side, buoyed by their battling 1-1 comeback draw at Charlton on Saturday, have the ability to end the losing streak in games against Boro.

He pointed out: “We’ve produced some great performances in away games this time, not least at Charlton, where we showed some character to hit back with 10 men (Keith Southern was controversially sent off in the 35th minute).

“We’ve won at Sheffield Wednesday, Blackpool and Birmingham, and this is a similar sort of game.

“We tend to produce the goods against big clubs with big grounds and big support, and Middlesbrough are one of those.

“Talking personally, I far prefer this kind of match, and I know the lads are looking forward to going up there and showing what we’re about.”

Lee made an impact as a 77th-minute substitute at Charlton, where Adam Clayton’s late penalty cancelled out Ron Hulse’s opener.

Click on the link below for our gallery of Huddersfield Town fans who made the trip to Charlton: Are you pictured?

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“In the circumstances, it was a moral victory,” added Lee. “It was a positive result against a team in form (Charlton had won their previous three), and the coach was buzzing on the way back.

“We’ve got two massive games coming up, and we’re all really looking forward to them.”

Fourth-placed Boro will go into the game desperate to bounce back from consecutive defeats at Cardiff (1-0) and at home to Bristol City (3-1).

Before that, they were unbeaten in eight league games and won six of them, and boss Tony Mowbray, who has former Town loan strikers Scott McDonald and Lukas Jutkiewicz to call on, is refusing to be too downcast.

“It didn’t quite go to plan for us. The result is frustrating and disappointing and there for everyone to see.

“But’s it’s not a performance to pick holes in. We won’t over-analyse it, just put it behind us and move on.”

While Town will be without Clayton after his fifth booking, Boro must rest midfielder Grant Leadbitter after he picked up a one-match ban for the same reason.

Simon Grayson formulates two plans for Middlesbrough match as Huddersfield Town are made to wait for Keith Southern verdict: Read here

Mowbray might also rest on-loan Chelsea man Josh McEachran after he looked jaded against Bristol, with Nicky Bailey, Richard Smallwood and Kevin Thomson all waiting in the wings.

Fit-again Scotland international Thomson returned to duty for the first time since October when he replaced McEachran on Saturday.

Boro’s list of injury absentees includes ex-Leeds and England centre-back Jonathan Woodgate (calf) and versatile Argentinian Julio Arca.