Middlesbrough host Derby in the Championship. Middlesbrough have been one of the most consistent teams in the division this season, while Derby have struggled to find any rhythm at all.
The two sides have swapped results in recent meetings, with wins shared fairly evenly over the past couple of seasons. That history sits awkwardly alongside how differently these teams are playing right now.
Analysis updated .
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Form guide: a big contrast in results
Middlesbrough's recent record across their last 20 matches in all competitions is strong, with ten wins and only four defeats. They've scored freely too, hitting 39 goals in that stretch.
Middlesbrough: 20 completed matches; Derby: 20 completed matches.
Middlesbrough
- Win
- 50% 10 / 20
- Draw
- 30% 6 / 20
- Loss
- 20% 4 / 20
- Scored
- 39
- Conceded
- 30
- Difference
- +9
Derby
- Win
- 15% 3 / 20
- Draw
- 25% 5 / 20
- Loss
- 60% 12 / 20
- Scored
- 20
- Conceded
- 37
- Difference
- -17
| League | Home | Away | Date | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Championship | Wrexham | Middlesbrough | 04.11.2026 | 2-0 |
| Championship | Middlesbrough | Charlton | 31.10.2026 | 3-0 |
| Championship | Bolton | Middlesbrough | 23.10.2026 | 1-5 |
| Championship | Middlesbrough | Cardiff | 17.10.2026 | 2-2 |
| Championship | Stoke City | Middlesbrough | 13.10.2026 | 2-3 |
| Championship | Middlesbrough | Wolves | 10.10.2026 | 1-0 |
| Championship | Birmingham | Middlesbrough | 19.09.2026 | 2-2 |
| Championship | Middlesbrough | Millwall | 15.09.2026 | 2-2 |
| Championship | Middlesbrough | Norwich | 12.09.2026 | 4-3 |
| League Cup | Crystal Palace | Middlesbrough | 08.09.2026 | 3-0 |
| League | Home | Away | Date | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Championship | Derby | Bolton | 06.11.2026 | 3-1 |
| Championship | Derby | Norwich | 03.11.2026 | 0-4 |
| Championship | Millwall | Derby | 31.10.2026 | 4-1 |
| Championship | Sheffield Utd | Derby | 24.10.2026 | 1-1 |
| Championship | Derby | Stoke City | 17.10.2026 | 0-1 |
| Championship | QPR | Derby | 14.10.2026 | 4-1 |
| Championship | Derby | Wrexham | 10.10.2026 | 1-1 |
| Championship | Burnley | Derby | 19.09.2026 | 1-1 |
| Championship | Derby | Birmingham | 12.09.2026 | 1-2 |
| Championship | Derby | West Brom | 09.09.2026 | 0-1 |
Derby have had it much tougher over the same period. Just two wins from 20, with 13 defeats and 39 goals conceded. Their own goal tally reads very differently, just 18 scored.
Middlesbrough's attacking output and Derby's defensive struggles point to a tough night for the visitors.
Comparative Team Statistics: Middlesbrough vs Derby
Head-to-head: no one-way traffic
These two have met plenty of times down the years, and recent meetings haven't followed a single pattern. Derby won the January 2026 game 1-0, while Middlesbrough took the November 2025 fixture 2-1.
| League | Home | Away | Date | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Championship | Derby | Middlesbrough | 01.01.2026 | 1-0 |
| Championship | Middlesbrough | Derby | 29.11.2025 | 2-1 |
| Championship | Middlesbrough | Derby | 01.03.2025 | 1-0 |
| Championship | Derby | Middlesbrough | 17.08.2024 | 1-0 |
| Championship | Middlesbrough | Derby | 12.02.2022 | 4-1 |
| Championship | Derby | Middlesbrough | 21.08.2021 | 0-0 |
| Championship | Derby | Middlesbrough | 13.02.2021 | 2-1 |
| Championship | Middlesbrough | Derby | 25.11.2020 | 3-0 |
| Championship | Middlesbrough | Derby | 11.01.2020 | 2-2 |
| Championship | Derby | Middlesbrough | 02.11.2019 | 2-0 |
Further back, Middlesbrough edged a March 2025 meeting 1-0, and Derby won away in August 2024. There's no obvious run of dominance either way in this fixture historically.
Past results here offer little guide given how differently the two sides are performing right now.
League table underlines the gap
Middlesbrough currently sit top of the Championship with 28 points from 13 games, built on eight wins and just one defeat.
| № | Team | Played | Win | Draw | Loss | GF/GA | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middlesbrough | 13 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 30/17 | 28 |
| 2 | Swansea | 13 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 20/13 | 26 |
| 3 | Wolves | 13 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 23/16 | 24 |
| 22 | Burnley | 13 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 17/25 | 9 |
| 23 | Derby | 13 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 11/25 | 7 |
| 24 | Preston | 13 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 10/27 | 5 |
Derby are down in 23rd with only seven points from the same number of matches, having won just once. Their goal difference of minus 14 tells its own story about the season so far.
Players making the difference
Middlesbrough's W. Lankshear has been their main source of goals, netting six in his last eight appearances for the club.
At the other end, Derby's B. Clark has chipped in with two assists in his last eight games, while Middlesbrough's L. Ayling has also provided two assists in the same span.
Squad lists and player details
Squad and player details
| Name | Country | Age | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neto Borges | Brazil | 30 | Defender | 185 | 89 |
| R. McGree | Australia | 28 | Midfielder | 178 | 78 |
| C. Brittain | England | 28 | Defender | 181 | 77 |
| G. Edmundson | England | 29 | Defender | 190 | 75 |
| A. Jones | England | 29 | Defender | 191 | 70 |
| L. Ayling | England | 35 | Defender | 185 | 72 |
| S. Byram | England | 33 | Defender | 180 | 72 |
| J. McLaughlin | Scotland | 39 | Goalkeeper | 191 | 82 |
| S. Dieng | Senegal | 31 | Goalkeeper | 193 | 90 |
| D. Strelec | Slovakia | 25 | Attacker | 185 | 73 |
| M. Whittaker | England | 25 | Midfielder | 183 | 69 |
| C. Barron | Scotland | 24 | Midfielder | 175 | n/a |
| A. Malanda | France | 25 | Defender | 185 | 75 |
| M. Peart-Harris | England | 24 | Midfielder | 187 | 80 |
| S. Brynn | England | 26 | Goalkeeper | 184 | 75 |
| S. Berhalter | USA | 25 | Midfielder | 175 | 70 |
| A. Morris | USA | 24 | Midfielder | 173 | 61 |
| J. Sarmiento | Ecuador | 24 | Attacker | 178 | 72 |
| K. Joseph | Scotland | 25 | Attacker | 186 | 75 |
| T. Conway | England | 24 | Attacker | 185 | 79 |
| R. Vítek | Czechia | 23 | Goalkeeper | 198 | n/a |
| Leo Castledine | England | 21 | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
| A. Phillips | England | 21 | Defender | 192 | 85 |
| A. Cozier-Duberry | England | 21 | Midfielder | 170 cm | 57 kg |
| R. Pukštas | USA | 22 | Midfielder | 181 | 75 |
| L. McCabe | England | 20 | Midfielder | 173 | 68 |
| M. Arfsten | USA | 25 | Defender | 185 | 78 |
| J. Dede | Scotland | 20 | Defender | n/a | n/a |
| A. Kanté | France | 21 | Midfielder | 180 | 75 |
| W. Lankshear | England | 21 | Attacker | 188 | 80 |
| F. Cartwright | England | 19 | Midfielder | 185 cm | 80 kg |
| J. Daley | n/a | n/a | Defender | n/a | n/a |
| C. Ibeh | n/a | n/a | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
| Name | Country | Age | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R. Brewster | England | 26 | Attacker | 180 | 75 |
| L. Salvesen | Norway | 30 | Attacker | 186 | 82 |
| J. Vickers | England | 30 | Goalkeeper | 193 | 72 |
| S. Szmodics | Republic of Ireland | 31 | Attacker | 168 | 64 |
| C. Taylor | England | 33 | Defender | 176 | 70 |
| S. Duffy | Republic of Ireland | 34 | Defender | 193 | 76 |
| C. Morris | England | 30 | Attacker | 185 | 85 |
| C. Forsyth | Scotland | 37 | Defender | 189 | 83 |
| J. Robinson | England | 33 | Defender | 180 | 67 |
| R. Nyambe | Namibia | 28 | Defender | 183 | 70 |
| L. Travis | England | 29 | Midfielder | 183 | 83 |
| A. Mowatt | England | 31 | Midfielder | 170 | 71 |
| R. Hedges | Wales | 31 | Midfielder | 185 | 65 |
| M. Clarke | England | 30 | Defender | 185 | 83 |
| J. Ward | England | 31 | Defender | 167 | 68 |
| C. Blackett-Taylor | England | 29 | Attacker | 180 | 67 |
| R. O'Donnell | England | 38 | Goalkeeper | 188 | 84 |
| J. Widell Zetterström | Sweden | 28 | Goalkeeper | 197 | 82 |
| D. Sanderson | England | 26 | Defender | 188 | 78 |
| F. Bilbija | Germany | 26 | Midfielder | 189 | 78 |
| E. Cashin | Republic of Ireland | 25 | Defender | 180 | 86 |
| O. Fraulo | Denmark | 22 | Midfielder | 180 | 77 |
| S. Langås | Norway | 25 | Defender | n/a | n/a |
| M. Johnston | Scotland | 22 | Defender | 185 | 83 |
| D. Ozoh | England | 21 | Midfielder | 190 | 68 |
| H. Meister | Denmark | 22 | Attacker | 192 | 83 |
| B. Clark | England | 21 | Midfielder | 178 | 75 |
| M. Fuseini | Ghana | 24 | Attacker | 170 | n/a |
| C. Allen | Wales | 19 | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
| I. Gordon | England | 19 | Defender | n/a | n/a |
| Owen Eames | England | 20 | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
| Raymond Offor | Republic of Ireland | 19 | Defender | n/a | n/a |
| C. Smith | n/a | n/a | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
Everything points to Middlesbrough as the stronger side right now, from their league position to their recent scoring form. Derby's season has been difficult by almost every measure, and nothing in their recent games suggests that's about to change.
Still, without a market to assess, there's no clear angle worth backing here. The gap in quality is obvious, but that alone isn't enough to build a confident selection around.
Who will win?
