Two sides separated by just three points at the top end of the League One table will do battle on Saturday, as Derby County welcome Barnsley to Pride Park.
The visitors have climbed to fifth spot in England's third tier thanks to a five-match unbeaten run, while their hosts find themselves just two points outside of the playoff places after their 15 outings.
Match preview
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After their seventh-placed finish in League One last season, Derby County currently occupy the same spot this time around in their first full term under the management of Paul Warne, with their sights certainly set on a sustained promotion push.
Consequently, the Rams are likely left quite disappointed with their start, with 24 points on the board from their first 15 outings having picked up seven wins while also suffering five third-tier defeats.
Their issues have largely been down to consistency thus far, with Warne's men having failed to put back-to-back league wins together since August, while only two victories have come from their last five outings, including a return to winning ways most recently at the end of October as they thrashed Northampton Town 4-0 at Pride Park with Max Bird netting a brace alongside goals from Conor Washington and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing.
The Rams will now return to league action for the first time since that outing at the end of last month, having since played twice in cup competitions, firstly travelling to fourth-tier Crewe Alexandra in the FA Cup first round and only forcing a replay thanks to late goals from Mendez-Laing and Conor Hourihane in a 2-2 draw, before most recently hosting Wolverhampton Wanderers Under-21s in the EFL Trophy on Wednesday and dishing out a 4-1 beating thanks to James Collins's hat-trick and Tony Weston's goal.
Now turning their focus back to England's third tier, with pressure around Pride Park growing and the need to improve their fortunes in the promotion fight, having already fallen eight points behind the top three, Derby will be keen to build on their midweek display with a third straight Pride Park win on Saturday.
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That will be no easy task, though, as their visitors arrive aiming to extend a five-match unbeaten run in League One and strengthen their position in the playoff places.
Following Neill Collins's appointment as Reds manager over the summer, and in their bid to go one further and win promotion to the Championship this time around after losing in extra time of the playoff final last season, Barnsley have also experienced a somewhat inconsistent start, as they sat on just 16 points from their opening 10 third-tier matches.
The Yorkshire outfit do appear to have kicked on since the beginning of October, though, having now climbed into the top six with three victories alongside two draws in their last five league outings, beating Cambridge United, Exeter City and Shrewsbury Town along the way without conceding in any of those encounters.
On the back of a 3-0 triumph over the latter, the Reds' last league outing came at home to Fleetwood Town late last month, and they had to settle for a somewhat underwhelming 2-2 draw, having only snatched a point late on through Corey O'Keefe, before most recently hosting non-league Horsham in the FA Cup first round last Friday and being held to a concerning 3-3 draw, with the visitors forcing a replay after the Oakwell side went ahead on three separate occasions through Max Watters, Fabio Jalo and Mael de Gevigney.
Barnsley will now travel to Pride Park on Saturday with the aim of putting that cup disappointment behind them and further strengthening their position in League One's leading pack with what would be an impressive return to winning ways away at a playoff rival.
Team News
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After rotating heavily for the recent EFL Trophy clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers Under-21s, Paul Warne may revert to the same Derby County starting XI from their 4-0 thrashing of Northampton Town in their last League One outing, although James Collins certainly has a claim to lead the line from the outset after his hat-trick in midweek.
He will battle with Conor Washington to start up front in their 4-2-3-1 shape, while Tom Barkhuizen, Max Bird and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing should all return in a supporting trio.
Behind them, Korey Smith and Conor Horihane are bound again partner up in the engine room, while one change from the team which beat Northampton could be the return of Eiran Cashin at the heart of the back four, after he served a suspension for an accumulation of yellow cards last time out.
We should also certainly see several changes to the Barnsley starting XI from their last cup outing, with Neill Collins bound to recall star forward Devante Cole, who has netted a joint-league-high tally of 11 goals in 15 third-tier appearances so far this term.
There is competition to join him in attack with the likes of Max Watters, John McAtee and Fabio Jalo fighting for starting spots, while the battle for midfield spots is also heated even in the continued absence of Luca Connell, with Herbie Kane, Callum Styles, Jon Russell and Adam Phillips all laying claims to start.
Summer arrival Mael de Gevigney will likely continue in the middle of the defence, with Jordan Williams and Jamie McCart expected to again join him in a back three.
Derby County possible starting lineup:
Wildsmith; Nyambe, Nelson, Cashin, Forsyth; Hourihane, Smith; Barkhuizen, Bird, Mendez-Laing; Washington
Barnsley possible starting lineup:
Killip; Williams, De Gevigney, McCart; O'Keefe, Styles, Kane, Phillips, Cadden; Watters, Cole
We say: Derby County 1-1 Barnsley
Despite both sides finding themselves in and around the playoff places at this early stage, neither are yet to truly kick into gear so far this term, and we do not envisage either team outclassing the other at Pride Park on Saturday and instead opt for a share of the spoils.
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Top tip
Sam Varley
