Derby County will face Blackpool at Pride Park Stadium in their final Sky Bet Championship
fixture on home turf before Christmas on Saturday afternoon.
dcfc.co.uk has gathered all the information you need to know ahead of the game (3pm kick-off).
Face Coverings/Supporter Safety...
* Supporters over the age of 11 attending Saturday’s match will be required to wear face coverings while in an indoor setting at Pride Park Stadium, following the UK Government’s guidance in early December.
* It is MANDATORY to wear face coverings while inside concourses and toilet areas, with the exception of when consuming food and drink.
* Please also continue to use the hand sanitising stations
around Pride Park Stadium and try and avoid close contact with others
where possible.
TICKET NEWS…
Tickets for the game will be on sale right up until kick-off from the Ticket Office.
Derby will welcome Blackpool to Pride Park Stadium on Saturday 11th December (3pm kick-off).
Supporters are advised to buy tickets as early as possible and if they wish to purchase match tickets on arrival ahead of kick-off, please do so as early as possible to avoid queues and potentially missing the start of the game.
Fans wishing to purchase a ticket on arrival at Pride Park Stadium are requested to ensure they have a Fan ID created on dcfc.co.uk to avoid the time-consuming process and to help provide a smooth customer service process.
Season Ticket Holders should note they no longer need to process their match ticket(s) online as Season Ticket Cards are now active for home league matches.
Derby County Vs Blackpool
Sky Bet Championship (Level B Fixture)
Derby County Membership Holders are able to purchase with 10% Discount off the General Admission Match Ticket Price. Remaining match tickets are available on General Sale.
BUY TICKETS FOR THIS MATCH HERE
Important Ticket Information...
* 2021/22 Season Ticket Holders' cards are now active and available to use.
* Season Ticket holders are encouraged to collect their Season Ticket Cards if they haven't done so already.
* Derby County Membership Holders have the chance to purchase a ticket with 10% Discount off the General Admission Match Ticket Price.
* Match Tickets are available until 1pm online on the day of the match.
* Please ensure you use your Fan ID when logging in to the club’s ticketing platform.
CLICK HERE FOR HOME TICKET FAQS
Car Parking...
In conjunction with Derby City Council, an online booking system for Pride Park Stadium matchday car parking, priced £8.50 per car.
Seasonal Parking Pass holders are not required to book online but must continue to display their car park hanger on the day to avoid incurring a fine.
Non-Seasonal Parking Pass holders are advised that parking in Car Park A or B without booking via the link provided below risk incurring a fine.
For more information and to reserve your space in advance of attending any first team match, visit secure.mipermit.com/derby/Account/PayAndStayAdd.aspx.
If you have any questions regarding the matchday parking ticket, please email businessdev@derby.gov.uk.
TEAM NEWS…
Defender Lee Buchanan will miss out once more after picking up a knee injury in last month's home victory over AFC Bournemouth, which is due to keep him out until January.
Striker Sam Baldock is also out with a hamstring problem but it is hoped he will return to the fold before the end of the year.
Another striker that is out of action is Jack Stretton. He has been out in recent weeks with a knee issue and he is not yet at the stage where he can return to training with the first-team.
In-form Under-23s striker Luke Plange is in line to feature in the matchday squad after making his senior bow as a substitute off the bench in last weekend’s 1-0 loss at Bristol City, following an impressive campaign so far for Pat Lyons’ side in front of goal.
Polish international midfielder Krystian Bielik, who suffered an ACL knee injury in January of this year, is making good progress in his rehabilitation work but is still not yet in a position to return to full training.
MANAGER'S THOUGHTS…
Manager Wayne Rooney offered his pre-match views to RamsTV and he said: “We have had a couple of days to rest this week and also time to work on our preparations for the game, so we are looking forward to it.
“It’s quite strange that there is no midweek game for the next couple of weeks, so it does give us that chance to work with the team and get the preparations how we want them.
“That’s what we’ll be using that time for and making sure any messages we need to put into the players are delivered.”
He added: “There are a number of players in the squad who have played a lot of games so far, so we allowed them to have a couple of days with their families this week to relax and get away from football.
“When we have been in at the training ground, we have working hard to prepare for the game on Saturday against Blackpool.”
FROM THE DRESSING ROOM…
Striker Luke Plange spoke to RamsTV following training on Thursday at Moor Farm Training Ground as Derby continue their preparations for the weekend's match and to look back on his senior debut in last Saturday's 1-0 loss at Bristol City.
He said: “In the last Under-23s game that I played in, which was a 5-3 win at Arsenal last month, I tried to perform the best I could to try and push myself into first team and get some minutes.
“I’d been training with the first team during the week leading up to last weekend and in the back of my head I thought that I might be involved in the game at Bristol City.
“I tried not to be nervous when I was told I’d be coming on and to keep my cool. I wanted to be composed and just play the same way as I usually do, but with more intensity, and do what I could for the team.
“There were a few nerves, of course. There were a lot of fans there, but it was a great experience altogether for me despite the result.”
MATCH OFFICIALS…
Andy Woolmer will oversee Saturday's game at Pride Park.
Woolmer has overseen 18 games so far this season in all competitions, showing 59 yellow cards and no reds.
His last game involving Derby was the 2-0 home win over Luton Town last season.
Woolmer will be assisted by James Wilson and Bhupinder Gill on the lines, whilst Geoff Eltringham has been appointed as the fourth official.
EFL SUBSTITUTE RULES…
The five substitutions rule has been scrapped for the 2021/22 season, the English Football League confirmed in July.
The rule allowing clubs to make five changes, as opposed to the usual three, was brought in following football's restart in June 2020 after a break due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Given that games had to be condensed into a short period of time it was thought beneficial and allowed managers to make as many as five changes in three intervals during a match.
Clubs had a longer post-break between seasons this time around and so the temporary rule has been changed.
Teams will be able to name seven substitutes but only use a maximum of three.
STREAMING INFORMATION…
With
COVID-19 capacity restrictions lifted and EFL fixtures being played in
front of full crowds once again, the temporary change in streaming rules
is no longer valid.
If you can't make the game in person, other options to catch up with the action on the pitch – including live TV, live radio, streaming of selected matches alongside highlights on TV and online of every Sky Bet EFL game.
LIVE TV (DOMESTIC)
In the UK, Sky Sports will show 138 Sky Bet EFL matches, 15 Carabao Cup ties and the Semi Finals and Final of the Papa John’s Trophy.
In the case of Weekend Fixtures, the EFL’s designated kick-off times* for Sky Live Matches are usually scheduled as follows:
* Friday evenings at 7:45pm or 8pm
* Saturdays at 12:30pm; Sundays at 12-noon
Within the Sky contract there are other kick-off times that are available to the broadcaster
In the case of scheduled Midweek Matches, live Sky fixtures will be between 7:30pm and 8pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
RADIO
TalkSPORT offer exclusive live commentaries on national radio across the Sky Bet EFL as well as non-exclusive rights to the Carabao Cup that are shared by the BBC.Both TalkSPORT and the BBC have the ability to broadcast score flash updates across all competitions.BBC Local Radio also have individual commentary deals with selected EFL clubs.
LIVE TV (INTERNATIONAL)
Any match shown live on Sky Sports in the UK is made available overseas via the League’s international broadcast partners.As well as this fixture, a minimum of 36 Championship fixtures taking place on Saturdays at 3pm, will be distributed for international coverage, alongside selected League One and Two fixtures, Carabao Cup ties, and action from across the Sky Bet Play-Offs.
A full list of the EFL’s international broadcast partners are available here:efl.com/iFollow/international-broadcasters/
HIGHLIGHTS
In the UK, Quest will continue to be the home for all highlights of matches in the Sky Bet EFL, Carabao Cup and Papa John’s Trophy, with action from a full weekend schedule of matches broadcast at 9pm on Saturdays, and midweek League highlights and Carabao Cup midweek highlights also screened on applicable weeknights. Internationally, a number of the EFL’s broadcast partners show repeat transmissions and highlights.
STREAMING
In respect of domestic streaming, the EFL will return to the position as was prior to the pandemic when the live broadcast or streaming of any match in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is prohibited between the hours of 2:45pm-5:15pm on Saturday afternoons.
EFL clubs will have the right to live-stream midweek matches on iFollow or Club equivalent service, with Sky Sports also able to stream the same Championship fixtures to subscribers across their Red Button interactive and digital services.
The position in each Sky Bet EFL division is as follows:
CHAMPIONSHIP - DOMESTIC
* All scheduled midweek matches (unless selected as one of Sky Sports Exclusive midweek selections)
* Displaced weekend matches – matches which are moved from Saturday 3pm kick-offs for non-TV purposes (at the discretion of the Home club)
* Bank Holiday matches (at the discretion of the Home club)
CHAMPIONSHIP - INTERNATIONAL
Overseas supporters can watch live all EFL Championship league games provided that they have not been selected for international television broadcast in a territory that has an overseas broadcast partner