Kim Hellberg will take helm of Middlesbrough for the first time on Saturday (15:00 GMT) as his new side host Derby County.
Boro won their first game under caretaker boss Adi Viveash but subsequently only earned one point out of their following two matches to see them out of the second place spot on goal difference.
But Hellberg’s introduction to the Riverside will be a testing one, with the Rams winning six of their past seven league matches (L1) to put themselves within touching distance of the top six.
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Middlesbrough have lost just one of their last 16 home league games against Derby (W12 D3), winning each of the last three in a row.
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Derby lost their last league meeting with Middlesbrough in March (0-1), but haven’t lost consecutive league matches against Boro since a run of three from April 2014 to March 2015.
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Middlesbrough have only won one of their last six league games (D3 L2), conceding in each of those games; they last endured a longer run of conceding between October and December 2024 (9 games).
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Derby County have won six of their last seven league games (L1), winning each of their last three on the road; they last enjoyed a longer such run in the Championship in October 2014 (4).
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Derby’s Andreas Weimann has been involved in four goals in his last three away league appearances against Middlesbrough (1 goal, 3 assists), providing a hat-trick of assists in Bristol City’s 3-1 win in July 2020.
