Derby County vs Middlesbrough: Prediction, Preview & Betting Tips

Recent form from either team leads all routes to suggest that Middlesbrough will make it two wins from two against newly promoted Derby County.

Middlesbrough are unbeaten in their last six, with no goals conceded in three. The last time these two teams met ended 4-1 to Middlesbrough. Emmanuel Latte-Lath is someone to keep an eye on during this game. He began his campaign strong by scoring against Swansea. The Ivorian scored 16 goals last season and averaged 0.5 goals per game.

Derby County have been the first to concede in their last five, with Middlesbrough being the first to score in five of their previous six. The Over 2.5 market has landed in four of the last five fixtures between the two sides.

For these reasons, Middlesbrough will win this game 2-1. Derby County 1-2 Middlesbrough.

The battle of two former Premier League teams occurs at Pride Park as Derby County takes on Middlesbrough. Derby County will be hoping for their first win back in the Championship, whereas promotion hopefuls Middlesbrough will hope to continue their 100% record.

Date: 17/08/2024

Location: Pride Park

Kick-Off: 12:30 pm

Derby County and Middlesbrough will have contrasting ambitions for this campaign. The Rams will be hoping to maintain their status as a Championship after their tenure as a League One club, with Middlesbrough hoping to establish their promotion ambitions for the upcoming season.

Derby County have not seen England’s top flight since 2008, with Middlesbrough being a Championship club since 2017. Last season was a joy for Derby County after they finished second behind Portsmouth under Paul Warne. Michael Carrick’s Middlesbrough finished eighth in the Championship, falling short of the top six in an injury-ravaged campaign for the Teesside club.

Derby County began their campaign spiritedly despite the scoreline against Blackburn Rovers. The Rams were a goal down inside 20 minutes after Tyrhys Dolan opened the scoring for the hosts; however, Curtis Nelson equalised with a thumping header from a corner just before the 70th-minute mark. What followed for Paul Warne was a 12-minute collapse as goals from Andreas Weimann, Sammie Szmodics, and Yuki Ohashi secured the win for Blackburn Rovers. Kane Wilson grabbed a consolation for Derby County.

Middlesbrough is eager to put the previous campaign behind them, and they have begun in terrific style against Swansea City, in a scoreline which should have been more generous towards the home side. Despite the 1-0 win, statistically, it could have been far worse for Swansea, with Swansea conceding 19 shots and five big chances created. In the end, Emmanuel Latte Lath was the difference between the two teams, with a 25th-minute penalty.

Middlesbrough has the advantage in this fixture, having won two of the previous three fixtures between the two teams. The two teams last met in 2022, and it ended 4-1 to the hosts thanks to goals from Duncan Watmore, Aaron Connolly, Matt Crooks and a Lee Buchanan own goal.

Derby County Team News

Tom Barkhuizen received a yellow card in the game against Blackburn Rovers. Paul Warne lines up in a 4-3-3 formation:
Predicted starting eleven: Vickers, Wilson, Nelson, Cashin, Elder, Goudmijn, Ozoh, Osborn, Barkhuizen, Jackson, Mendez-Laing.

Middlesbrough Team News

Michael Carrick uses a 4-1-3-2 formation for his side. Lukas Engel received a yellow card in the first game.
Predicted starting eleven: Dieng, Ayling, Van den Berg, Clarke, Engel, Hackney, Jones, Morris, McGree, Azaz, Latte Lath.

The game will be shown on Sky Sports+.

Derby County has been the first to concede in their last five games, which doesn’t bode well when facing a side that scored first in their previous six games. Derby County’s form, in general, doesn’t bode well for the Rams, as Paul Warne’s side have on three of their last even games - conceding four twice against Barnsley and Blackburn Rovers, respectively.

If Derby County were seeking aspirations for survival this season, the home form at Pride Park would have to resemble what took place in their promotion season. The Rams were excellent at Pride Park last season, gaining 49 points from 69 available - with 15 wins, four draws and four losses. Defensively, they were superb throughout, only conceding 18 goals at home all season whilst scoring 41. Derby County averaged 1.7 goals per game last season whilst only conceding 0.8 and keeping 22 clean sheets across their entire campaign.

Middlesbrough has utilised their excellent pre-season form and brought it into the campaign thus far, with the victory on opening day. Michael Carrick’s side is unbeaten in their last six, with no goals conceded in three. Middlesbrough has had four wins in those six, including the opening-day win over Swansea City and Heerenveen during pre-season.

Middlesbrough were efficient in front of goal last season, having scored 71 goals in 46 games - averaging 1.5 goals per game. Defensively, they were solid, yet at the same time uninspiring, having only kept 11 clean sheets all season, conceding 1.3 goals per game. At times, one factor of their defensive frailties was the errors leading to goals. Last season, the away side committed six errors, leading directly to a goal for the other team. Middlesbrough had considerably good away form last season, ranking sixth highest in the league with 45 points obtained from a possible 69.

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