There is a key battle at the bottom of the Championship on Saturday as Derby County host Wycombe Wanderers in the first ever meeting between the two sides.

The Rams are rooted to the foot of the table with just six points to their name, while the Chairboys sit in 22nd on nine points.

Match preview

Middlesbrough's Britt Assombalonga celebrates scoring against Derby County in the Championship on November 25, 2020 © Reuters

It was another dismal showing from Derby in midweek as they lost 3-0 to Middlesbrough, the fourth game in a row in which they have both lost and failed to score.

The club's co-caretaker manager Liam Rosenior questioned the team's attitude, desire and passion in a performance which he labelled "unacceptable".

The Rams appear no closer to finding a new permanent boss to replace Phillip Cocu, but are desperate for their horrendous form to change. No team has scored fewer goals (five) and only Coventry City have conceded more.

They have won just once all season – away from Pride Park – and are six points adrift of safety.

It is a precarious position that Saturday's opponents Wycombe were expected to be in at the start of the campaign, and indeed many onlookers feared the worst for the Chairboys when they lost their opening seven matches.

Wycombe Wanderers manager Gareth Ainsworth pictured in September 2020 © Reuters

However in recent weeks they have proved that they are ready to fight for their Championship status in their first ever season at this level.

Gareth Ainsworth's side drew 0-0 with Huddersfield Town on Tuesday evening in a game of a few chances, but the Chairboys once again showed the character needed to grind out a result.

It was a second clean sheet in a row for Wycombe following their goalless draw with Brentford last weekend, and they have now lost just once in their last six matches.

Ainsworth may view the trip to Pride Park as a big opportunity to move out of the bottom three for the first time since the opening day, particularly as Coventry – three points better off in 21st – travel to league leaders Norwich City.

However Wycombe have the second worst away record in the Championship – winning one and losing five of their six games on the road so far.

Derby County Championship form: DDLLLL

Wycombe Wanderers Championship form: DWWLDD

Team News

Derby County's Wayne Rooney pictured in October 2020 © Reuters

Martyn Waghorn was taken off at half time against Middlesbrough after picking up a knock and is a doubt for Saturday's game.

This could mean that Wayne Rooney moves up front, with Derby's only other fit striking option being Under-23s top scorer Jack Stretton, who was named on the bench for the first time in midweek.

Curtis Davies, Louie Sibley and Duane Holmes could all come into the side after the thrashing at the Riverside Stadium.

Gareth Ainsworth has admitted that he will have to rotate his squad in the coming weeks to cope with the Championship's busy schedule.

Adebayo Akinfenwa may be given a rest after playing 90 minutes in the last two games, while Fred Onyedinma could also drop to the bench.

Ainsworth has said that Garath McCleary is edging closer to full fitness after the winger signed for the club at the start of November following three months as a free agent.

Derby County possible starting lineup:
Marshall; Wisdom, Davies, Clarke, Buchanan; Bird, Knight; Holmes, Sibley, Lawrence; Rooney

Wycombe Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Allsop; Grimmer, Knight, Stewart, Jacobson; Gape, Adeniran, Thompson; McCleary, Samuel, Horgan

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We say: Derby County 1-1 Wycombe Wanderers

Both sides will see this as a winnable fixture, so could ultimately be left disappointed by a point apiece. Derby need a response following their performance on Wednesday night, but Wycombe will not make it easy for them as the Chairboys look to amend their poor away record.

Top betting tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting over 1.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.

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 38.68%. A win for Wycombe Wanderers had a probability of 34.04% and a draw had a probability of 27.3%.

The most likely scoreline for a Derby County win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.98%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.23%) and 2-0 (6.99%). The likeliest Wycombe Wanderers win was 0-1 (10.15%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.92%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 12.9% likelihood.