Derby County welcome Bristol City to Pride Park on Saturday afternoon looking to record their third successive victory in the Championship.
Meanwhile, the visitors have picked up two wins in three matches, putting the club within touching distance of the playoff places with a game in hand.
Match preview
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Despite being handed a two-and-a-half-year contract, Derby boss Wayne Rooney knows that he will only be kept in the dugout if he continues to keep this team on an upward trajectory.
Following 1-0 wins over Bournemouth and Queens Park Rangers, the England legend will feel that the foundations have been laid for an improved second half of the campaign.
Nevertheless, the resurgence of Rotherham United since their return to action has kept the pressure on the Rams, who are only two points ahead of the drop zone having played two games more than the Millers.
That scenario is a reminder to Rooney and his players that they cannot afford to take their foot off the gas, something which may prove to be a blessing in disguise at this stage of the season.
Goals remain a major issue for this side, although Rooney will have few concerns regarding their efforts in the final third as long as they continue to collect clean sheets with regularity.
Bristol City have made a habit of mid-season inconsistency in recent years, something which would have concerned Dean Holden after three successive defeats in December.
However, five wins from seven matches in all competitions have kept the Robins heading in the right direction, and they have the potential to break into the top six over the coming weeks.
The form of Famara Diedhiou has made a big difference to Bristol City's fortunes, the Senegalese scoring six times since his return from suspension on Boxing Day.
Holden's side were made to work hard for their 2-1 success over Huddersfield Town in midweek, but witnessing his side show unity in getting over the line will only have encouraged the City boss ahead of the trip to the East Midlands.
Derby County Championship form: LWLLWW
Derby County form (all competitions): WLLLWW
Bristol City Championship form: LWLWLW
Bristol City form (all competitions): LWWLWW
Team News
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Barring any late fitness issues, Rooney could name the same Derby XI that started against QPR.
George Evans may drop out of the side if Millwall make any headway in their bid to sign the defender in the coming days.
Providing that he opts against a switch to a back three, Bristol City manager Holden could also go with the same players from the last match.
Jack Hunt is on standby to feature at left-back if Tommy Rowe does not shake off the knock which led to his withdrawal against Huddersfield.
Derby County possible starting lineup:
Roos; Evans, Wisdom, Clarke; Byrne, Bielik, Shinnie, Buchanan; Jozwiak, Kazim-Richards, Knight
Bristol City possible starting lineup:
Bentley; Mariappa, Kalas, Mawson, Rowe; Semenyo, Vyner, Bakinson, Palmer; Diedhiou, Wells
We say: Derby County 1-1 Bristol City
Both managers will be eager to collect maximum points at the weekend as they bid to improve their fortunes at opposite ends of the table. However, we see this contest ending in a share of the spoils after a competitive encounter between two teams playing with confidence.
Top betting tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Derby County win with a probability of 37.96%. A win for Bristol City had a probability of 34.31% and a draw had a probability of 27.7%.
The most likely scoreline for a Derby County win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.32%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.05%) and 2-0 (6.97%). The likeliest Bristol City win was 0-1 (10.63%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.08%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with an 11.3% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 1-0 win for Derby County in this match.
