Wednesday’s mission? To return to winning ways and complete the double over the ‘old enemy’.
That’s the task that awaits Gary Rowett’s side at Pride Park Stadium (kick-off: 7:45pm) and dcfc.co.uk has collated all the information you need ahead of the visit of Paul Heckingbottom’s men…
WHAT’S THE LATEST TEAM NEWS
Gary Rowett has confirmed that George Thorne has returned to training this week after missing last Tuesday’s trip to Sheffield Wednesday.
The 25-year-old midfielder missed out on the trip to Hillsborough, but is in line to return to the matchday fold against Paul Heckingbottom’s men.
The only three players that will be missing are Sam Winnall, Jonathan Mitchell and Jamie Hanson.
WHAT THE BOSS HAD TO SAY?
Speaking to RamsTV ahead of the weekend, Gary Rowett said: “I actually quite like these moments of the season, we have a little bit of a test now because we lost a game that we thought we would be well-placed to win, and that’s the nature of the Championship.
“You can never rest on your laurels and you can’t be blasé about any opponent, it shows that any team can beat anyone.
“It’s a little bit of a challenge, it’s about how we’re going to bounce back from that game, whether we can show the character and which players are going to go out there and demand the ball.
“I quite enjoy these moments because you learn a lot about people, and yourself.
“You have to dig in, get on with it and not get too frustrated by the fact that we’ve dropped a couple of places in the table.
“There isn’t a manager out there that has never had to deal with a defeat, so it’s normal and we have to make sure that one defeat is all it is.”
ONE TO WATCH
According to the Yorkshire Evening Post’s chief football writer, Phil Hay, Samuel Saiz owes Leeds United a ‘big performance’ on Wednesday evening.
The exciting midfielder, who signed for Leeds United on a four-year contract back in the summer, has missed the last six matches through suspension, but is expected to come straight back into the fold at Pride Park Stadium.
The midfielder has scored nine goals in 25 appearances in all competitions and has proven to be a quality number 10 for the Whites.
Born in Madrid, Sáiz came through the ranks at Spanish giants Real, going on to make appearances for their B and C teams.
Spells at UD Melilla, Getafe and UD Almería followed, before he was snapped up by Atlético Madrid in 2014.
Sáiz then moved initially on loan to Huesca, before that move was made permanent in 2016.
Last season he made 40 appearances, scoring 12 goals and provided eight assists, helping Huesca reach the Spanish Segunda División Play-Offs and the Whites beat off competition from other clubs to secure his signature.
HOW DO I SECURE MY SEAT
The matchday ticket prices have been confirmed for Derby County’s Sky Bet Championship meeting with rivals Leeds United at Pride Park Stadium tonight.
Ticket prices are increased on the day of a game, so pre-purchasing prior to matchdays is recommended.
Tickets are available for Derby County supporters from:
Adults - £27
Senior Citizens (aged 65+) – £19.50
Under-18s - £15.50
2 to 12 Year Olds - £9
* Category D & E prices are listed above.
A £1 per ticket booking fee applies when purchasing by either telephone or online.
For matchday ticket enquiries and purchases, please visit the Ticket Office at Pride Park Stadium or call 0871 472 1884 (option 1).
Alternatively, supporters can also buy tickets online right here on dcfc.co.uk.
* Calls cost 13p per minute, plus your phone company's access charge.
WHAT’S TO COME IN THE RAM
Ahead of facing the club where his career began, Scott Carson sat down for in-depth and exclusive interview with Derby County’s award-winning official matchday programme, The Ram.
Over a varied seven-page interview, Derby’s number one covers his clean sheets record since joining the club in 2015, starting out at Leeds, his vast experiences, the season so far, his relationship with the Rams’ supporters and recently meeting Macauley Jakes.
Jam-packed, as ever, with that and more exclusive features and content, supporters can purchase a copy of our 76-page official matchday programme for just £3 from all around Pride Park Stadium.
Click here for a full review of what other content you can expect to find in your Leeds edition of The Ram.
LAST TIME OUT AT AGAINST THE OLD ENEMY?
LEEDS UNITED 1-2 DERBY COUNTY
Tuesday 31st October 2017
Sam Winnall scored twice as Derby County staged a brilliant second half fightback to extend their winning run to four games back in October with a 2-1 victory against Leeds United at Elland Road.
Gary Rowett’s side were second best for the majority of the first period and they went behind to Pierre-Michel Lasogga’s powerful finish, but the game changed after the break and Winnall picked up where he left off against Norwich City to net a brace and leave the Whites stunned.
Derby County: Carson; Wisdom, Keogh, Davies, Forsyth; Lawrence, Huddlestone, Ledley (Weimann, 68), Johnson; Martin, Winnall (Thorne, 88)
Substitutes not used: Mitchell, Baird, Pearce, Thomas, Vydra
Leeds United: Lonergan; Ayling, Pennington (Grot, 84), Jansson, Dallas; O’Kane, Vieira; Roofe (Sacko, 76), Saiz, Alioski (Hernandez, 84); Lasogga
Substitutes not used: Wiedwald, Shaughnessy, Anita, Klich
WHO’S THE MAN IN THE MIDDLE?
Keith Stroud will be the man in the middle when Derby County return to Pride Park Stadium to take on Leeds United on Wednesday evening.
Simpson has officiated 22 games so far this term, mainly in the Sky Bet Championship. from which he has produced 95 yellow and seven red cards.
This match will be the second involving the Rams that he has taken charge of this campaign after he was the man in the middle for Derby’s meeting with Reading at the beginning of November.
In total, this weekend’s referee has officiated 19 matches involving Derby – 12 of which have been won and seven that have ended in defeat.
This will not be the first time he has taken charge of this particular fixture after he was appointed to take charge of the Rams’ 2-0 win over Leeds in December 2014.
Simpson will be assisted by John Flynn and Billy Smallwood on the lines, whilst Robert Jones has been appointed as the fourth official.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE ACTION
Due to international broadcasting rights, RamsTV will NOT be able to broadcast the match live, although a live audio stream of the game will be available.
Here’s a breakdown of what’s coming up on RamsTV:
TUESDAY
- Pre-match Press Conference: Leeds United (8.30am approx.) – RamsTV will have full coverage of manager Gary Rowett’s pre-match press conference, broadcast LIVE on Derby County’s Facebook page.
- Leeds United Preview Show (6pm) – Owen Bradley will be joined by former Rams defenders Shane Nicholson and Marc Edworthy as they look ahead to what promises to be another exciting game against Leeds United.
WEDNESDAY
- Matchday Live: Derby County Vs Leeds United (7pm) – RamsTV is the place to be for all the build-up ahead of the game on Wednesday night. Presenter Owen Bradley will be joined LIVE in RamsTV’s Pride Park studio by Kevin Wilson and Bobby Davison as they cover all the key talking points ahead of kick-off (7.45pm).
- As this fixture has been selected for live TV coverage and due to international broadcasting rights, RamsTV will only be able to broadcast the match live in select countries, although a live audio stream of the game will also be available. Please click here for more information
- Post-Match Extra: Leeds United (10pm approx.) – RamsTV’s interactive Facebook Live show will feature the thoughts of Rams fans as well as a post-match interview with manager Gary Rowett.
THURSDAY
- Match Highlights: Leeds United (12pm) – RamsTV’s extended highlights from the game the night before, featuring all the key moments of action.
- Matchday Relived: Leeds United (6pm) – Watch the entirety of RamsTV’s matchday production including the full 90 minutes of action along with the pre-game, half and full-time analysis from the team in the RamsTV studio.
The RamsTV streaming service is available to all supporters who register on dcfc.co.uk.
To access the full RamsTV streaming service will cost the following:
First-Team Audio Commentary (worldwide) - £45 annual subscription or £5 per month
First-Team Pay Per Game - Match Streaming (outside UK) - £5 for the individual game
A link to packages can be found here.
The two premium services are in addition to the regular pre-match and post-match interviews on RamsTV.
Supporters will also be able to follow all of the action, as usual, across our social media channels.
We will be providing behind the scenes content across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, where we will also provide a blow-by-blow account of proceedings at Pride Park Stadium.