Derby County are aiming to kick off their 2026 with a bang when they welcome high-flying Middlesbrough to Pride Park Stadium in the Sky Bet Championship on Thursday (3pm kick-off).
The first of three successive matches on home soil in all competitions, the Rams will be looking to avenge the narrow 2-1 loss they suffered at the Riverside Stadium at the end of November.
Both sides tasted defeated by a one-goal margin on Monday evening to see out 2025, with Derby beaten 2-1 away at Leicester City, while Boro were downed 1-0 at home to Hull City.
The Rams will welcome back Joe Ward after serving his one-game suspension for his red card in the 1-1 draw at Birmingham City on Boxing Day, while John Eustace’s side have also been boosted by the news of Dion Sanderson’s permanent signing on New Year’s Eve.
Derby currently sit 14th in the table, two points outside of the top half, while Kim Hellberg’s Middlesbrough occupy second place in their bid for automatic promotion to the Premier League.
Ticket Information:
Tickets for the Rams’ first home game of 2026 are still available and can be purchased online, over the phone, or in person from the Ticket Office at Pride Park.
Supporters are urged to secure their seats in advance to avoid the matchday price increase.
Find out full ticket details for Thursday’s match at tickets.dcfc.co.uk.
Pre-Match Thoughts:
Ready to return to Pride Park Stadium for their next two Championship matches, Head Coach John Eustace told RamsTV his side need to make home advantage count.
Vice-captain Ebou Adams also caught up with RamsTV. Following Monday’s 2-1 defeat to Leicester, he stated the Rams are itching to ‘put things right’.
The Opposition:
Soaring high at the top end of the Championship table, it’s been an impressive season to date for Middlesbrough.
Celebrating their 150th anniversary as a club, Boro currently sit second as they look to mark a historic year with promotion back to the Premier League.
Their strong early season form could easily have been derailed by a change in management, with Rob Edwards leaving Teesside in mid-November to take over at Premier League outfit Wolverhampton Wanderers.
In came Swedish boss, Kim Hellberg, arriving from Hammarby, whom the 37-year-old had guided to successive second place finishes in the Swedish top-flight. He made a winning start in English football, overseeing Boro’s 2-1 victory over the Rams in his first game in charge.
It sparked a four-game winning run – with victories over Hull City, Charlton Athletic and Queens Park Rangers to follow – although Middlesbrough are currently on a three-match run without a goal, picking up one point from the last nine on offer over Christmas.
They will again look to November’s match-winner and top-scorer, Morgan Whittaker, with the Derby County Academy graduate having notched eight times in the league this term.
Classic Clash:
The two sides previously met on New Year’s Day in the 2012/13 season, with Derby running out 3-1 winners at Pride Park Stadium.
Goals from Michael Jacobs, Jeff Hendrick and Conor Sammon – prior to a late consolation strike by Lukas Jutkiewicz – helped Nigel Clough’s Rams to all three points.
Jacobs stroked home from Ben Davies’ cross to give Derby the lead after 19 minutes, then Hendrick’s sweet strike from distance doubled the Rams’ advantage shortly before the break.
Derby’s dominance continued after the restart, with Sammon on hand to tap in on the rebound after Jason Steele had originally stopped Jacobs’ effort. Jutkiewicz netted in the dying embers of the contest, but it finished 3-1 to the Rams.
Match Officials:
Ruebyn Ricardo will be the man in the middle for Thursday’s clash. He previously presided over Derby’s 1-0 away victory against West Bromwich Albion earlier this season.
Across his 16 league and cup matches so far in 2025/26, Ricardo has shown a total of 72 yellow cards and three red cards.
Matthew Smith and Nigel Lugg will run the line after being named as the Assistant Referees, while Thomas Parsons has been selected as the Fourth Official.
RamsTV Audio & Video Coverage:
Live audio commentary for all of Derby County’s first team matches in the 2025/26 season – both league and cup fixtures – is available to RamsTV Audio subscribers based both in the UK and internationally.
Information about RamsTV’s Video Live Streaming and other services for this season can be found here.
Highlights & Match Replay:
Full match reaction will be available on dcfc.co.uk and the Derby County App shortly after full time, with highlights and a full match replay available from midnight.
