Middlesbrough host Derby County this weekend.
Middlesbrough favourite Stewart Downing believes Derby County will arrive at the Riverside Stadium this weekend thinking they are better than the Teesside club.
“They’ll have an arrogance about them where they’ll probably think they’re better than us. That’ll shape the way they play. They’re challenging for the league, so they’ll be looking to get points,” Downing told the Middlesbrough Gazette.
“That’ll probably be their mindset and I don’t expect them to adopt the kind of defensive approach we’ve encountered in some of the home games.”
The Rams head into their clash with Boro coming off the back of back-to-back wins over fellow Championship promotion rivals Sheffield United and West Brom.
Frank Lampard’s side have been inconsistent so far this season, but their midweek 4-1 demolition of West Brom at the Hawthorns underlined their potential as serious promotion candidates this season.
Derby have come a long way in a short space of time under Lampard, moving away from the pragmatic approach under former boss Gary Rowett to a high-pressing attacking side capable of scoring plenty of goals.
But Derby’s approach may favour Boro this weekend, as the Rams have generally come up short against physical sides this season, having lost at Rotherham United, Bolton Wanderers and Millwall.
Tony Pulis’s Boro have also struggled to break down defensive-minded sides, drawing their last game at the Riverside 0-0 against Rotherham, therefore they will probably welcome Derby’s attacking approach.
The two sides are separated by just two points at the top end of the Championship, and it’s an encounter which could make a big difference come the end of the season.
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