Sunderland and Middlesbrough are set to play out the first Tees–Wear derby of the season this weekend.
Boro face a short trip up the A19 this weekend for what is expected to be a feisty affair at the Stadium of Light.
Middlesbrough have an excellent recent record against their local rivals, with Michael Carrick taking four points from their two meetings in 2023/24.
The Teessiders have fallen to defeat on just one occasion versus Sunderland since an FA Cup tie all the way back in 2012.
However, this season is expected to be different, with Regis Le Bris having transformed the Black Cats into a promotion-chasing side following his arrival over the summer.
Middlesbrough drew 1-1 with Preston North End last time out, leaving them sat 10th in the Championship table.
| Position | Team | PlayedMP | WonW | DrawnD | LostL | ForGF | AgainstGA | DiffGD | PointsPts |
| 8 |  DerbyDerby | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 9 |
| 9 |  LeedsLeeds | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 8 |
| 10 |  MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 8 |
| 11 |  SwanseaSwansea | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 7 |
Sunderland, on the other hand, are second in the division after picking up four wins and losing one of their opening five Championship fixtures.
EFL pundit drops scoreline prediction for Sunderland vs Middlesbrough
As a result, Boro are expected to face their toughest test of the 2024/25 Championship campaign so far when they clash with Sunderland in a 12:30pm kick-off on Saturday.
After a slow start, Middlesbrough could really do with picking up three points to help boost their promotion chances.
However, speaking on the Championship Check-In podcast ahead of the weekend, EFL pundit Sam Parkin has predicted a ‘cagey’ affair in the North East.
He said: “I think I’ll take a draw actually.
“Boro have only been beaten once haven’t they, and Sunderland tasted defeat for the first time.
“I quite like the draw. I think it might be quite cagey… bit of a rivalry.”
Parkin went on to predict a 1-1 draw between Middlesbrough and Sunderland, which will do Carrick’s men no favours in their push for a Premier League return.
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Why Middlesbrough should be confident ahead of Sunderland meeting
Carrick must get several key selection calls right vs Sunderland, with Aidan Morris expected to come back into the eleven and a big decision to be made over who starts on the right wing.
However, no matter who starts the clash on Saturday, Middlesbrough will be quietly confident of picking up the win.
Boro’s biggest strength under Carrick is their ability to hit teams on the counterattack to great effect.
We saw this on full display last month when Middlesbrough beat Leeds United 3-0 in the Carabao Cup.
The Teessiders’ ability to break quickly has been hindered during the early stages of the Championship campaign.
Teams like Derby County and Preston were more than happy to soak up pressure and force Boro to try and break them down.
However, with Sunderland likely to press high and take the game to Middlesbrough, the away outfit will back themselves to score plenty on Saturday and come away with the win.