Wayne Rooney hopes his Birmingham team give his old friend Michael Carrick no reason to smile after their match against Middlesbrough on Saturday.

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• Rooney ready for first Birmingham match
• Faces Carrick's Middlesbrough in Championship
• New coach hopes for winning start

• Table of Contents

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Rooney's first Championship match as Birmingham manager sees his side come up against a Middlesbrough team coached by his former Manchester United and England team-mate Carrick.

  The home side are 16th in the table but head into the game against Birmingham on a five-game winning run.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Rooney has taken over a Birmingham team sitting sixth in the English second-tier and with two straight league wins under their belt.

  The ex-D.C. United coach is tasked with taking the club up to the Premier League and he will hope to get off to a good start by inflicting a defeat upon his good pal Carrick.

• WHAT THEY SAID

  "Michael is a good friend of mine and I will shake his hand before and after the game but I want to beat him," Rooney told reporters. "He will tell you the same. We have a lot of respect for each other but we are both winners. He is a very intelligent person. I spoke to him before he went to Middlesbrough last year, before he moved there. I felt it would be a really good challenge for him and he has done a really good job."

  He added: "I spoke to Michael last weekend. We are really good friends and so are our children. I played with him for many years and we lifted the FA Cup together as captain and vice-captain. They are special memories but I want to beat him. I don't want to see him smiling at 5pm on Saturday. But of course there is great respect and it would be nice to have a good chat after the game, whatever the result."

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  WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

  A win for Birmingham at Middlesbrough will strengthen their hold on a play-off place in the Championship.

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Category: News