Fighting to retain their 100% home record in the early stages of the 2024-25 campaign, newly-promoted Derby County will welcome Norwich City to Pride Park for a Championship clash on Saturday afternoon.
The Rams have endured an inconsistent return to the second-tier stage following League One promotion in May, whilst the Canaries are still recovering from playoff semi-final heartbreak earlier in the calendar year.
Match preview
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After back-to-back home successes over Bristol City and bottom side Cardiff City, Derby County's form on the road reared its ugly head once again to halt any building of momentum, with Saturday's East Midlands hosts losing by a single goal at the home of promotion favourites Sheffield United.
The Rams had notable chances to take the lead at Bramall Lane during the first period - namely via the feet of Kayden Jackson and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing - but the visitors lacked a ruthless streak, with Blades midfielder Gustavo Hamer netting a game-clinching free kick in the second half.
Winning three and losing three of their first six matches back in the Championship cauldron, Derby occupy 10th place in the second-tier rankings with nine points, already five points ahead of Sheffield Wednesday, who are currently sitting in the highest of the relegation spots.
Continuing on from their sensational season in League One during 2023-24, the Rams have been impeccable at their East Midlands base so far this campaign, winning four straight matches at Pride Park across the Championship and EFL Cup, including second-tier victories over Middlesbrough, Bristol City and Cardiff.
Despite reaching his 400th game in professional management at Bramall Lane last weekend, Paul Warne will not be in celebratory mood for too long as he attempts to win over a section of the Derby fanbase who think that the 51-year-old is not the man to take the club to the next level on the pitch.
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Following a run of three away matches which included an EFL Cup exit at Crystal Palace and a narrow defeat at Swansea City in the Championship, Norwich City returned to their East Anglian home last Saturday, when the top-six chasers put on an exceptional display against Watford.
Netting his maiden goal for the club, Manchester City loanee Callum Doyle opened the scoring for the Canaries before Watford's Ryan Andrews restored parity in the contest, but further strikes from Borja Sainz, Marcelino Nunez and Ben Chrisene put the game beyond Tom Cleverley's side.
Struggling with inconsistency at the beginning of the new term, Norwich are yet to win back-to-back contests under the fresh stewardship of Danish coach Johannes Hoff Thorup, who replaced the unfancied David Wagner in the managerial hotseat following the club's playoff thrashing at the hands of Leeds United in May.
After placing sixth in the Championship last campaign, the Canaries will be expecting to achieve the same at a minimum this time around, with Saturday's visitors to Pride Park currently in 11th position following the collection of eight points from their opening six league fixtures.
Rather surprisingly due to the relative fortunes of the two teams in recent times, Norwich have only won one of their last six meetings with Derby in the Championship, although the Canaries were victorious during their most recent visit to Pride Park in April 2021, when Kieran Dowell netted the only goal of the East Midlands battle.
Team News
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Derby are sweating over the fitness of left-back Callum Elder, who is a doubt for Saturday's match after being forced off with a groin issue during the final stages of the game against Sheffield United last weekend.
The Rams are set to be without the services of David Ozoh, with the Crystal Palace loanee expected back following the October international break from a hamstring strain.
Right-back Kane Wilson is also in the Derby medical room due to a hamstring-related issue, whilst youngster Jake Rooney is preparing to miss the majority of the campaign because of a cruciate ligament injury.
Norwich are unable to call upon the second-tier knowhow of Ashley Barnes due to a leg injury, meaning that Joshua Sargent will continue to carry the offensive burden at the focal point of the visitors' attack.
Christian Fassnacht is out of action until late October with an Achilles problem, whereas centre-back Jacob Sorensen is limited to a watching brief owing to a foot issue.
Derby County possible starting lineup:
Zetterstrom; Nyambe, Nelson, Cashin, Ward; Goudmijn, Osborn, Adams; Jackson, Mendez-Laing, Yates
Norwich City possible starting lineup:
Gunn; Fisher, Duffy, Doyle, Cordoba; Nunez, McLean; Schwartau, Crnac, Sainz; Sargent
We say: Derby County 1-0 Norwich City
Derby's home form is keeping them clear of trouble at the start of this season, and we expect that narrative to continue against Norwich on Saturday afternoon.
The Canaries are significantly weaker on the road than compared to at their Carrow Road base, meaning that another disappointing outing is on the cards for the East Anglians.
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