- Derby County U21 have won 1, drawn 2 and lost 4 of their 7 home league games, scoring just 4 goals at home.
- Middlesbrough U21 have won 2, drawn 4 and lost 2 of their 8 away league games, averaging 1.38 goals per game on the road.
A clash of styles at Pride Park
Derby County U21 come into this match sat 29th in the Premier League 2 after taking just 11 points from their first 16 games of the 2025-2026 campaign. Jake Buxton’s men have found form hard to come by this season and are in no man’s land in terms of their identity, although they have shown some fight in their last 2 home matches, taking 1 win and 1 draw from those fixtures.
Buxton has instilled a compact, organised and high-intensity pressing structure on his side since taking over in July 2023, but they’ve yet to master the transition from their defensive block to create chances. Justin Oguntolu has been their most consistent threat in the attacking third, registering 3 of Derby’s 7 goals across their last 5 fixtures.
Buoyant Boro head to Derby
Middlesbrough U21 sit 15 places above their hosts in the league table having accumulated 24 points from their 18 games so far. Mark Tinkler has done an excellent job shaping this side into a structured, low-block outfit that play on the counter and are ruthless in transition since taking over in December 2021.
Boro come into this fixture having won 3 of their last 5 games, losing just twice. Their most recent results have been a 4-1 home defeat to Birmingham Academy, a 3-1 away win at Tottenham Hotspur Academy and an emphatic 6-1 home win over Stoke City Academy.
Going for goals
The away side come into this game in much better form than their hosts, are higher up in the league and are priced accordingly. However, there is more value in the both teams to score market which is 39/100. This fixture pits Derby’s high-intensity, aggressive pressing style against Middlesbrough’s rapid counter-attacking style. If Boro can remain compact and clinical in the final third, Derby will find it very hard to break them down, and this could lead to an end-to-end match with momentum shifts and goals at both ends.
Jack Daley is the main goal-getter for Middlesbrough U21, registering 5 of their 12 goals in their last 5 matches, and Boro will be hoping he can continue his clinical form at Pride Park on Friday.
