Pick of the stats: Middlesbrough v Lincoln City

For the first time in 65 years Lincoln will play in the second tier of English football on Saturday (15:00 BST) as they begin their campaign at beaten play-off finalists Middlesbrough. The Imps won at Derby in the EFL Cup first round last weekend and lost just once in the past 15 seasons on the opening day. Boro overcame Wrexham in the EFL Cup and have lost only one of their past five curtain-raisers. This is the first meeting between Middlesbrough and Lincoln City in any competition since April 1961, with the Imps winning a second tier match 5-2 at Sincil Bank. Lincoln City have won just one of their 10 previous Football League visits to Middlesbrough (D3 L6); a 2-1 victory in March 1959 in the second tier under Bill Anderson. Following a run of 10 wins in 14 games between November and February (D1 L3), Middlesbrough won just four of their final 15 league matches to end last season (D7 L4). Lincoln City finished their EFL League One title-winning campaign with a 29-game unbeaten run (W23 D6); only six sides previously have gone 30+ games outside of the top-flight, the last being Burnley in 2024-25 (33). Middlesbrough recorded more pressed sequences than any other side in the EFL Championship last season (592), while only Ipswich Town (11) and Hull City (9) scored more goals following high turnovers than their eight. [BBC]