MX23RW : Monday, July 8 18:42:31| >> :600:289668:289668:
[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
Euro 2024 fixtures header
Tuesday, July 9
 
8pm
Semi-Finals
Spain
vs.
France
Wednesday, July 10
 
8pm
Sunday, July 14
Tables header RHS

Group A

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Germany Germany32107
Q Switzerland Switzerland31205
3 Hungary Hungary31023
4 Scotland flag Scotland30121

Group B

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Spain Spain33009
Q Italy Italy31114
3 Croatia Croatia30212
4 Albania national flag Albania30121

Group C

TeamPWDLPTS
Q England flag England31205
Q Denmark Denmark30303
Q Slovenia Slovenia30303
4 Serbia Serbia30212

Group D

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Austria Austria32016
Q France France31205
Q Netherlands Netherlands31114
4 Poland Poland30121

Group E

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Romania Romania31114
Q Belgium Belgium31114
Q Slovakia Slovakia31114
4 Ukraine Ukraine31114

Group F

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Portugal Portugal32016
Q Turkey Turkey32016
Q Georgia Georgia31114
4 Czech Republic Czech Republic30121


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!