Middlesbrough drop out of the automatic promotion spots after Bobby Clark scores a second-half winner for Derby County.

This article was originally published on www.foxesofleicester.com as Derby County get star player return boosts before Leicester game.

Sports Mole previews Saturday's Championship clash between Derby County and Portsmouth, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Derby County were beaten 2-1 at Leicester City on Monday night and next face Middlesbrough at Pride Park on January 1

Boro enter 2026 sitting second in the Championship as they push for promotion to the Premier League. But Kim Hellberg's side are winless in three ahead of this game. Another defensive injury crisis has hardly helped, though there's a chance that Adilson Malanda could debut today, if Boro received international clearance in time.

A welcome victory on Monday night for the Foxes has lightened the increasingly toxic atmosphere at the King Power Stadium. The arrival of several young players in the second half was a good sign for the future.

Leicester City beat Derby County for the second time in three weeks to once again ease the pressure on manager Marti Cifuentes.

Birmingham City supporters want to cut Lewis Koumas' loan move short after his display against Derby County as St Andrew's Stadium.

Sports Mole previews Monday's Championship clash between Leicester City and Derby County, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Derby have won their past two Boxing Day league games, beating Wigan in 2023 and West Brom in 2024. They last won three in a row on Boxing Day between 1956 and 1958. Birmingham have won 17 home league games in 2025 and need one more home win to equal their record for home victories in a calendar year, set in the year 2000 when they won 18.