MX23RW : Saturday, November 23 05:49:28| >> :120:82724:82724:
[monks data]
Derby logo
Championship
Apr 12, 2014 at 3.07pm UK
 
Huddersfield logo

3-1

Russell (28'), Smithies (50' og.), Martin (57' pen.)
FT(HT: 1-1)
Wells (14')

Preview: Derby County vs. Huddersfield Town

Sports Mole previews the Championship clash between Derby and Huddersfield at Pride Park, which is must-win for the Rams if they want to sneak into the top two.

Derby County will be confident of keeping their slim automatic promotion hopes alive when they host out-of-form Huddersfield Town at Pride Park on Saturday.

The Rams know that they will have to win all five of their remaining Championship matches to have a realistic chance of pipping Burnley to second place.

The Clarets will be confirmed promoted this weekend if they better Derby's result, but Steve McLaren's men are not expected to slip up when they face a Huddersfield side that are winless in eight games.

Terriers boss Mark Robins described their showing in losing 2-0 to Ipswich Town on Tuesday to suffer consecutive home defeats as 'the most abject performance of any team he had managed'.

Fortunately for the Yorkshire-based club, they amassed enough points in the first half of the season that they are unlikely to be dragged into a relegation scrap, even if their poor run continues.

They are seven points and five places clear of the bottom three, although Robins will be keen to get a win on the board as soon as possible to ensure that they do not have a nervy finish to the season.

Huddersfield's dip has coincided with the regular absence of striker James Vaughan, who is their top goalscorer this season with 10, but has been in and out of the team since February.

It was revealed this week that the 25-year-old will not feature again this term as he prepares to undergo knee surgery, and Robins may also be without Keith Southern and Joel Lynch for the trip to Derby.

Jeff Hendrick is available again for the Rams and so McLaren will have to choose between Will Hughes or George Thorne to make way in midfield, the only place where he is likely to consider changes.

A defence which has kept clean sheets in five of their last six home matches should remain untouched, while Jamie Ward is still struggling with a muscle strain and so is not in contention for a recall up front.

Derby recovered from conceding in the first minute to beat Blackpool 3-1 at Bloomfield Road in midweek, with Chris Martin, Patrick Bamford and Craig Bryson all scoring before the half-hour mark.

Recent form

Derby: WLWLWD

Huddersfield: LLDDLL

Possible starting lineups

Derby: Grant; Wisdom, Keogh, Buxton, Forsyth; Thorne, Hendrick, Bryson; Russell, Martin, Bamford

Huddersfield: Smithies; Smith Gerrard, Clarke; Scannell, Clayton, Gobern, Norwood, Dixon; Ward, Wells

Sports Mole says: 3-0


ID:149149: cacheID:149149:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:5320:No Data Analysis info

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Restore Data
Share this article now:
Derby's Craig Bryson celebrates after scoring his third goal against Nottingham Forest during the Championship match on March 22, 2014
Read Next:
Half-Time Report: Derby fight back against Blackpool
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Sunderland1594225111431
2Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd1510321971231
3Leeds UnitedLeeds158522491529
4Burnley157621861227
5Watford168262524126
6West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom15672169725
7Middlesbrough157352317624
8Millwall156541813523
9Blackburn RoversBlackburn156451917222
10Bristol City155732019122
11Swansea CitySwansea155461110119
12Derby CountyDerby155461919019
13Stoke CityStoke155461819-119
14Norwich CityNorwich154652322118
15Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds155371725-818
16Oxford UnitedOxford Utd154561718-117
17Plymouth ArgylePlymouth164571728-1117
18Coventry CityCoventry154472021-116
19Hull City153661620-415
20Preston North EndPreston153661523-815
21Luton TownLuton154381726-915
22Cardiff CityCardiff154381423-915
23Portsmouth152671628-1212
24Queens Park RangersQPR151771225-1310


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!