AITOR KARANKA has admitted that it would be wonderful for Middlesbrough to be hit the Premier League jackpot next year, but has reassured fans that going up is not vital for the club’s short-term financial future.

Boro head into tonight’s crucial promotion fixture with second-placed Norwich City with victory seeing them return to the top of the Championship before fellow title contenders Bournemouth and Watford play tomorrow.

The race for a top two spot has is an exciting one given the topsy-turvy nature and tightness of it over the last few months, but with two games remaining it can still be any two from the four sides.

Karanka has overseen plenty of changes to personnel during his 16 months in charge at the Riverside and a failure to seal a top-flight return next month is likely to mean the £20.4m pre-tax loss which Boro reported in their accounts up to June 20, 2014 this week is only likely to increase.

But Karanka said: “The chairman, Steve Gibson, did not say to me that it is vital this season. He never told me it is vital to get to the Premier League. But he deserves it. He is calm but it is not vital to get promotion this season.

“At the beginning of the season nobody could see promotion with this squad. It was difficult to say we would be fighting for promotion with the teams we are fighting with.”

But having led Boro – certain of a play-off spot if they miss out on the top two - to within touching distance of promotion, the ambitious head coach is desperate to get the job done this season.

Karanka said: “It is very important to go up because there is a big difference between earning almost £100m and virtually nothing. In our first meeting (with the chairman), the objective was to get promotion in two and a half years or three years. That’s my contract. If we can get it this year it will be perfect but if it has to be another season then so be it.”

Boro have worked back into contention thanks to back-to-back home wins over Wolves and Rotherham, having seen hopes dashed with away defeats to promotion rivals Bournemouth and Watford.

Both of those away losses were suffered on a lunch-time and while Boro were leading the charge at the top of the pile. Tonight’s trip to Norwich, however, fills Karanka with greater confidence ... mainly because it is an evening fixture.

“Both the Bournemouth and Watford games had a lot of similarities,” he said. “They were both early kick-offs, we were at the top of the table at the time against two of the best teams in the league at the time.

“After those games, we have learned that this time is better for us. We prefer to play in the night than in the morning. We are also fourth so we have a different mentality going into the game.

“I don’t know why it matters but it does. As a player I played better at night because you have more time to rest. In the morning you can be a little asleep. I’m not sure why. But those games did have similarities. Hopefully we can change and hopefully we can play like we did against Derby, Cardiff and others ...”

With Bournemouth holding a point advantage over Norwich and Watford, with Boro a further point back, Karanka is convinced the losing side at Carrow Road tonight will have to plan without automatic promotion.

He said: “I think the losers will be in the play-offs. I think everyone expects one team to lose a game but nobody is losing. With two games to go and to be five points below the promotion positions would be very difficult. But it’s the Championship, so who knows?

“The loser can forget about promotion but the winner will not be guaranteed to be in the Premier League for sure. The team who wins this game has to be fighting until the end. It is a race between three other teams. One point might not be enough.”

The Middlesbrough squad flew to Norfolk yesterday afternoon with Jonathan Woodgate, Albert Adomah and Daniel Ayala all on board. All three have doubts surrounding their fitness and Karanka will weigh up his options today. Midfielder Grant Leadbitter is also back from suspension.