Ahead of Today’s top of the table 1st vs. 2nd Championship clash, I caught up with ‘All About Boro’ to get to know our Middlesbrough hosts a little better.

What do you think of the season so far and has it gone as expected?

Well obviously I have enjoyed the season so far because we are top, the perfect Christmas and new year so I’m really happy. Although this is what I expected from us, I am still quite surprised at how well it’s going.

Our clean sheet record is stunning at the moment, especially at home. We haven’t conceded at The Riverside since September 15th and that is a huge achievement which has surprised me. So yes, basically it is what I expected and more!

Do you expect promotion and which three teams will cross the line in May?

I think I can answer this one on behalf of the majority of Boro fans by saying we do expect promotion now. If we win on Saturday, we will go 4 points clear with a game in hand, which could add up to 7 points clear potentially. To throw away promotion considering where we are at right now would be a huge disappointment, even bigger than the play-off final loss.

I don’t mind whether we finish 1st or 2nd, preferably 1st, but I think Boro, Derby and Hull (Via the play-offs) will win promotion this season. Since the last time we played in that 1-1 draw I think it’s fair to say Derby have come a long way after a slow start, which makes the game on Saturday a lot more intriguing!

Who are the key players for Boro at the moment and what system is used?

The key players for Boro at the moment would have to be Christian Stuani, our top scorer, doing well lately. Then, in my opinion, our players of the season so far in Adam Clayton and Daniel Ayala. Clayton is arguably the best midfielder in the Championship, I know Derby fans will probably disagree!

Ayala is just like a rock at the back and the stats speak for themselves, I don’t think our defensive record would be the same without him. The system we play, the majority of the time to start off with, is a 4-2-3-1 formation where we keep possession and we’re quite patient when going forward. This changes throughout the match depending on the opposition and the score line.

What are you hoping for in January and what business needs to be done?

I don’t think we desperately need anyone in January. That might be quite boring but we are doing just fine as it is. There has been rumours flying about that we’re, once again, in for Jordan Rhodes. Also heard a lot about Patrick Bamford returning and I would happily have him back but word is that he wants to stay in the Premier League.

All I hope for is that no first team players leave because that’s the most important in my opinion, to keep our table-topping players.

What is the best way for an away side to approach things at the Riverside?

A lot of teams tend to sit back when coming to The Riverside which I think helps with our fantastic home record because we don’t see a lot of attacking from the opposition, they just invite us onto them and they try to counter and most of the time it doesn’t work. I think teams should come here with no fear and play their own game instead of letting us play our way but I’m not complaining because look where we are!

Finally, what is your predicted line-up and score prediction?

David Nugent is back from suspension which I’m glad about and my predicted line-up is the one I would pick myself.

Derby County Polls