Middlesbrough and Michael Carrick have to address 10-year trend vs Swansea City: View | OneFootball

Boro have not won on the opening day of the season since 2014.

Middlesbrough take on Swansea City this Saturday in the opening round of the 2024/25 Championship season, and Michael Carrick will be hoping to put an end to Boro's decade-long wait for three points on matchday one.

Carrick's side got off to a dismal start to the season last term, going winless in their opening seven Championship games and were sitting bottom of the division come mid-September.

Middlesbrough eventually kicked into gear as the season progressed, but their slow start would ultimately come back to haunt them at the end of the season, as a late resurgence saw the club finish in eighth place, and just four points outside the play-off places.

Optimism is rife amongst Middlesbrough supporters heading into the new season, as the club have made some smart additions to the squad, whilst keeping hold of some key players that Carrick will no doubt be pinning his promotion hopes on.

However, Boro haven't mastered the art of getting a result on opening day for some time...

Boro must bring decade-long drought to an end

For whatever reason, Middlesbrough have been unable to kickstart their respective campaigns with a victory over the last decade, as you have to go back to before they sealed their latest Premier League promotion to find their last opening day victory.

Indeed, a 2-0 home win over Birmingham City in 2014 is the last time Middlesbrough supporters were able to toast to three points on matchday one, as goals from Daniel Ayala and Kike made the difference that afternoon.

In the nine opening day fixtures since then, Boro have drawn with Preston, Stoke City (Premier League), Millwall, Luton Town, Fulham, West Brom, and lost to Wolves, Watford and Millwall respectively.

Meanwhile, Swansea City have fared better, as despite failing to win any of their previous three opening day fixtures, the Swans only need to go back to a 1-0 win over Preston in 2020 to find their last win on the opening weekend.

Since 2014, Swansea have won five of their last nine opening day fixtures, and will present as a tough opening day opponent for Boro to try and get the better of.

In what will be manager Luke Williams' first full season in charge at the Swansea.com Stadium, the club had to settle for a 14th-placed finish last term, but there is confidence amongst large sections of the fanbase of a brighter campaign this year.

This summer has seen some important players from last season leave the club, as striker Jerry Yates has departed for Derby County, whilst former Middlesbrough defender Nathan Wood made the move to the Premier League with Southampton.

But, Williams and his recruitment staff have made a handful of additions to the squad so far, with promising young striker Zan Vipotnik joining on a free after scoring 10 goals in Ligue 1 for Bordeaux last season.

23-year-old Portugese midfielder Goncalo Franco arrives after an impressive couple of seasons in his homeland, whilst versatile forward Eom Ji-sung has made the switch from Japanese football to the Championship.

Like Middlesbrough, they too have been able to so far keep hold of some key players this summer, with one of the Championship's classiest central midfielders, Matt Grimes, set to once again be the metronome in the Swans' midfield.

Ronald Pereira flashed his potential in the second half of last season, whilst quality defenders such as Harry Darling, Josh Tymon and Ben Cabango remain at the heart of Swansea's defence.

Therefore, the Welsh side will be stiff opposition for Middlesbrough this weekend, and they'll have to continue their impressive pre-season form into the opening day if they want to stand any chance of breaking this decade-long curse.