Derby County vs Middlesbrough Prediction: Derby looking for first win in Championship

This English Championship is showing to be a great one—this weekend, Derby County will welcome Middlesbrough to Pride Park Stadium. This is the match in which Derby will look forward to firing up their championship form. Who will come out on top after 90 minutes?

It was a disappointing return to the Championship after a two-year absence as Derby County lost 4-2 to Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park last Friday,. The Rams couldn't muster a response to the second-half goals of Curtis Nelson and Kane Wilson that merely served as consolation. In a fairly typical manner for a newly-promoted outfit showing weaknesses in defense, goals from Tyrhys Dolan, Andreas Weimann, Yuki Ohashi, and Sammie Szmodics laid bare the Rams defensive weaknesses.

One bright point for Derby in defeat was Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, who created both goals and is already proving to be an important attacking player after the Rams lost two key forwards from last season. That pressure ratcheted up a notch in midweek EFL Cup action at Chesterfield when Armando Dobra scored to put the hosts ahead. Derby responded by scoring twice as Liam Thompson and Kayden Jackson sealed a hard-fought 2-1 win.

This season, Derby must make Pride Park a fortress in order not to fall back to League One; they have been strong during the last campaign at home, conceding only 18 goals in 23 matches. They will need to replicate that form and improve upon their away record if they have to enjoy a successful Championship campaign.

Vickers; Wilson, Nelson, Cashin, Elder; Goudmijn, Ozoh, Osborn; Collins, Mendez-Laing, Jackson

After safely negotiating their way through the opening week's competitive action of the 2024-25 season, Middlesbrough won both their Championship and EFL Cup matches away at Swansea City and Leeds United with, in each case, four goals scored and none conceded. Sign of early-season strength.

Meanwhile, Golden Boot contender Emmanuel Latte Lath scored from a penalty to win the match for Middlesbrough over Swansea City. Subsequently, in the EFL Cup against Leeds United, it was Anfernee Dijksteel, Delano Burgzorg, and Josh Coburn on the scoresheet to secure a 3-0 victory.

Dijksteel's strike was special, it was his first in five years of playing for Middlesbrough, and he finally got his name on the scoresheet. But, with the potential addition of Tommy Conway from Bristol and Coburn just having a field day on the field, Middlesbrough's squad depth looks good.

Dieng, Ayling, Clarke, Van den Berg, Engel, McGree, Hackney, Jones, Morris, Azaz, Lath

Middlesbrough looks the better-equipped of the two teams in their current well-oiled form in defense to hold out Derby County, considering their display at the back in the previous match was porous. It should be Middlesbrough, with possibly more under the hood, claiming the few spoils up for grabs from this Midlands clash.