Middlesbrough defender Ben Gibson has claimed that Derby County do not get the credit they deserve ahead of Saturday's top-of-the-table Championship showdown.
Just a point separates the two teams, who were both considered favourites for promotion at the start of the season, going into tomorrow's clash at the Riverside.
While Boro have been there or thereabouts for much of the season, Derby started slowly under new head coach Paul Clement before gradually making their way into the top two by the turn of the year.
"Derby have gone about this quite quietly, but for me I think they are one of the best football sides in the league," Gibson told Boro's website.
"People talk about Hull and Brighton and Burnley, and about us, but Derby just seem to be getting on with the job almost unnoticed. That's not the case of course, but it feels that they don't often get mentioned, or the credit they deserve."
Boro go into tomorrow's contest having kept eight straight home clean sheets in the league, winning four of the last five by a 1-0 scoreline.
Pascal Lemesre
