John Eustace faces his former club this weekend, as his Derby County side host Blackburn Rovers at Pride Park on Saturday.
Eustace made the surprise switch to Derby last month, swapping a promotion push with Rovers for a relegation battle with the Rams.
Match preview
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The hosts have lost all three of their matches under their new head coach, conceding six goals without reply across those three games.
If he loses to his former side at the weekend, Eustace will become the first-ever Derby boss to begin their tenure with four consecutive defeats.
The Rams were outside the relegation zone on goals scored when Eustace took charge, but those three defeats have seen the club slip to the bottom of the table.
With other clubs around them picking up points in the weeks since, Derby are now seven points adrift of safety, in desperate need of a win to lift their season.
The hosts have not won since their 2-1 triumph over West Bromwich Albion on Boxing Day, a winless run that now stretches across 13 matches in all competitions.
That currently makes Derby the only side in the division that are yet to win in 2025, and the Rams have lost 10 of their past 12 matches in the Championship.
Despite collecting 21 of their 29 points in games played at Pride Park, the Rams still have the second-worst home record in the division, with only Hull City performing worse in front of their own fans this season.
They also have one of the least prolific attacks in the division, as their 33 goals in 35 games means that they average less than a goal a game, and they also have the second-worst attacking record in the league, with only Luton Town performing worse in front of goal.
Their highest scorer so far this season is Jerry Yates, who has netted seven times in 32 league matches, and with their next highest scorer on four goals, somebody is going to have to step up in the coming months if Derby are going to survive relegation.
Having come up from League One last season, there was always a possibility of the Rams going down again, but with 11 games remaining and seven points from safety, they are not out of it just yet.
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They take on a Blackburn side that sit just outside the playoff zone in the Championship, as they look to return to the Premier League following a 13-year absence.
Rovers were in the playoff zone when Eustace departed the club last month, and they won two matches with interim boss David Lowe in charge before Valerien Ismael arrived at the club on February 25.
Last weekend, Ismael's new team drew their first game under his guidance, as Blackburn and Norwich City played out a 1-1 draw at Ewood Park.
Ismael will be looking to improve his personal record against the Rams, having lost three of the four games that he has managed against Derby.
His side are currently only outside the playoff zone on goal difference, with Ismael's former club West Brom currently occupying the final playoff position in sixth.
However, Bristol City jumped above Rovers in the table following their 2-0 win at Millwall during the week, so the race for the playoffs is heating up, with plenty of clubs vying for one of four spots in the playoffs.
A big reason why Blackburn are so high up in the league is their strong defensive record, as the club have conceded a goal a game, with 35 goals shipped in 35 matches.
Goalkeeper Aynsley Pears has particularly impressed this season, as he has kept 13 clean sheets so far during the campaign, the fourth-most of any goalkeeper in the Championship.
At the other end of the pitch, Rovers have not quite been able to replace the goals of Sammie Szmodics, who scored 33 goals in 48 matches last season, with his form earning him a move to Ipswich Town last year.
Andreas Weimann is currently their top scorer, with nine goals in all competitions, with the most recent of them coming last weekend against Norwich.
He will be hoping to reach double figures for the season as soon as possible, and he will fancy his chances against a Derby defence that has conceded 48 times in the league this season.
Blackburn have won just five times on their travels in the league this season, and they will view this game as an opportunity to improve on that record against a Derby side struggling to win anywhere right now.
The visitors got the better of Derby in the reverse fixture back in August, with goals from Szmodics, Weimann, Yuki Ohashi and Tyrhys Dolan securing a comfortable 4-2 victory for Rovers on the opening weekend of the season.
Team News
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Derby could have a triple boost, as Matt Clarke, Kane Wilson and Nat Phillips are all in contention to make the squad for this fixture following recent injuries.
Corey Blackett-Taylor (hamstring) and Dajaune Brown remain doubtful for the hosts, while Curtis Nelson (knee) is a long-term absentee for the Rams.
Meanwhile, Blackburn's Ohashi and Sondre Tronstad returned to action from the bench last weekend, as they both recovered from recent injuries.
Emmanuel Dennis is suspended for this clash following his red card in the game against Norwich last weekend.
Elsewhere, Danny Batth (muscle), Harry Pickering (knee), Arnor Sigurdsson (thigh), Zak Gilsenan (muscle), Owen Beck (hamstring) and Scott Wharton (ACL) all remain doubts for the visitors.
Derby County possible starting lineup:
Widell Zetterstrom; Elder, Forsyth, Langas, Nyambe; Armstrong, Adams, Barkhuizen, Harness, Jackson; Yates
Blackburn Rovers possible starting lineup:
Pears; Ribeiro, Hyam, Carter, Brittain; Forshaw, Travis, Dolan, Cantwell, Kargbo; Weimann
We say: Derby County 0-2 Blackburn Rovers
Eustace took a risk in leaving Blackburn for Derby earlier this year, and so far it has not paid off.
We think his old employers will get the better of his Derby side this weekend, as the hosts continue to struggle in their battle against relegation.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Tom Humphrey
