Kieran Scott's Middlesbrough promotion challenge confidence amid easier division claims

Kieran Scott feels Middlesbrough are much better placed to challenge for promotion back to the Premier League this season - but that has more to do with internal factors than external.

Having ended a tough campaign last year in fine form, Boro have been placed as joint-third favourites to secure promotion from the Championship in the upcoming season. Head coach Michael Carrick has made his feelings clear that he is expecting Boro to challenge this time around, having still secured an eighth-place finish last term despite their injury concerns.

With Leicester City and Southampton promoted last season, the feeling for many this summer is that the upcoming campaign should be an easier division. Burnley, Luton and Sheffield United are coming straight back down from the Premier League, while Portsmouth, Derby County and Oxford United are coming up from League One with little expectation to repeat Ipswich Town's feat.

READ MORE: Middlesbrough promotion chances assessed as next season's Championship table is predicted

Burnley are still searching for Vincent Kompany's replacement with now less than six weeks to go until the start of the new season, Luton are suggesting they won't be spending big this summer and Sheffield United are awaiting a takeover which is disrupting their squad rebuild and they will also start the season on minus two points.

Asked if he subscribed to that notion and was therefore confident in Boro's promotion chances, head of football Scott said: "This is a question I hate because I don't want to get caught saying something stupid. The Championship each season is always really demanding and tough, whoever is in the league.

"We all thought really big clubs came down last year, and two of them have gone back, one has stayed. The clubs that are coming down are boosted by parachute payments, I believe one is due for a takeover. You never quite know the landscape. You never really know what you're up against until it starts.

"That being said, I'm looking at it thinking we have a stronger chance of being competitive this season than perhaps last season. We have a much more settled squad, we have players who ended the season in form. I'd like to think we'll be in and around it."

After so much transfer business last season, Boro's squad began to settle towards the end of last season and they lost only one of their final 12 games, picking up more points than any other side in that period.

Therefore not feeling the need to do too much business that summer that might once again disrupt the connection of the squad, Boro are opting for quality over quantity and by the end of just their first week of pre-season they already had three new signings through the door.