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Middlesbrough FC will be eyeing their first win at Ipswich Town since March 1993 on Friday evening - but can Karanka’s men end their third hoodoo of the season?

Both Hillsborough and The City Ground have proven to be Boro’s house of pain in recent years, but Karanka isn’t taking any notice of the ancient hexes.

In fact, Boro clinched their first win at Sheffield Wednesday since 2009 with a 3-1 success in August.

That was followed by a 2-1 victory at Nottingham Forest in September - only Boro’s second success at The City Ground since 1973, and first since 1999.

So will it be the perfect hat-trick in front of the Sky Sports cameras on Friday night?

Boro have rarely enjoyed playing at Portman Road in the modern era. There’s only a couple of success stories on that ground in recent times.

The first was on Boxing Day in 1990, when Colin Todd’s Boro won 1-0 in Suffolk after Ian Baird’s remarkable header from outside the box.

Then Boro also won at Ipswich two seasons later in the inaugural Premier League, when Paul Wilkinson’s first-half goal sealed the points for Lennie Lawrence’s men.

That victory in March 1993 is the last time Boro returned to Teesside with maximum points against Ipswich.

But this season, Boro have a weapon that changes things. One that Ipswich supporters are dreading.

If David Nugent scores against Mick McCarthy’s Tractor Boys on Friday night, it’ll be like Groundhog Day at Portman Road.

Indeed, Boro’s £4m summer signing has an INCREDIBLE scoring record against Ipswich. He’s scored 14 goals in his last 13 matches against them for Preston, Portsmouth and Leicester.

The 30-year-old has found the net in all SEVEN of his visits to Portman Road (nine goals), including for England Under-21s against Moldova in August 2006. Wow.

Nugent simply loves playing against Ipswich - and could even have played for the club earlier in his career.

The striker claims he has turned down the chance to move to Portman Road three times during his career to date.

“I like it here – I just wish I could play here every week!” Nugent told the East Anglian Daily Times back in November 2013.

“I’ve had my chances to do that actually.

“Ipswich wanted me when I was first coming through at Bury, but I was young (20) and decided it was too far away. I ended up moving to Preston.

“Then, when I was at Portsmouth, I was coming back from a hernia operation and Jim Magilton gave me a call and asked if I fancied a loan here.

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“I didn’t want to come to a club, having not played for three months, and not look my sharpest. I decided not to make the move, concentrate on getting fit at Portsmouth and we won the FA Cup that year – so I think I made the right decision.

“I’d heard strong rumours that Ipswich wanted me again in 2011 (under Paul Jewell’s management), but as soon as Leicester showed interest my mind was made up.”

Talk about a love-hate relationship! Nugent will inevitably take on the role of pantomime villain against Ipswich on Friday night - and McCarthy certainly won’t be pleased to see him.

When asked about Nugent’s goalscoring feat back in November 2013, after the striker scored twice to help the Foxes to a 2-1 win at Portman Road, McCarthy turned to black humour.

“I’m ******* delighted for him,” McCarthy quipped.

Then, after a long pause, the Ipswich boss added: “Let’s hope they get promoted so he can p*** off out of my sight! That would be great that. He’s a good player, he’s a top-class striker in this league.”

So what does Nugent think of his sensational goalscoring record against Ipswich?

“I have a good record against them but mainly at Portman Road. I have scored so many there it is a joke,” he said back in 2012.

“Every striker has a side that they always seem to score against and mine happens to be Ipswich.”

So Boro’s trip to Ipswich on Friday evening isn’t as daunting, all of a sudden. In Nugent, they may well have found the ultimate weapon to end their third ancient hex of the campaign.

Let’s hope Nugent can continue his staggering record against Ipswich for Boro.