Derby County are back on the road in Sky Bet League One on Saturday when they make the journey to Fleetwood Town for their second away fixture of the week.
In the lead-up to the game getting underway, dcfc.co.uk has brought together all the key information you need to know…
Team News
Captain Curtis Davies’ scan on his injured quad muscle has confirmed he will be out of action for around four weeks, meaning the centre-back will miss out once again. The 37-year-old sat out the 2-1 home win over Barnsley after suffering the injury in training last week and underwent a scan on Monday, which confirmed the extent of the damage.
Defender James Chester is still edging closer to a return to the squad after a spell out with an achilles issue. The central defender has sat out the side’s opening five matches of the 2022/23 season in all competitions so far after featuring twice in pre-season following his arrival from Stoke City in July.
Manager's Views
Interim Manager Liam Rosenior sat down with RamsTV in the lead-up to his side's second away match inside five days.
He said: "I think every manager would want extra time on the training pitch with
their squad, but at the same time there is nothing better than playing
games of football. What makes you less tired is winning matches so if I
played ‘Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday’ in my career and we were in a
period where we were winning, that tiredness evaporates. We just need to
try and get the best results we can in this period and that will help
us psychologically; you have more energy in your legs. We are in a
really good place. I’m delighted with the start to the season. If we win
on Saturday, then we would have ten points from our opening five games
and that’s the benchmark for promotion and that’s what we’re aiming for."
From The Dressing Room
Defender Haydon Roberts, who started all four of Derby's League One fixtures this season, spoke to RamsTV ahead of this weekend's clash with Scott Brown's side.
He said: "I think we have started off our season well. I think as a team we should have done better away from home. We go into every match knowing that we can win with the players and squad we have got. I think we can win every game. We go into each one thinking that we should win. Look at the way we played against Charlton Athletic in the first half; I thought we were brilliant but goals win games. If you don’t score, you can’t win. At Shrewsbury, we dominated the game but we lacked that cutting edge. With time, we would win that game. It’s all about patience and I know we will be fine on the road."
About The Opposition
Fleetwood Town are currently in their ninth successive season in the EFL after gaining promotion from the National League almost a decade ago.
They are under new management this season too following the appointment of former Celtic captain Scott Brown, who decided to hang his boots earlier this year after a brief spell as Player-Coach at Aberdeen.
Brown, a former Scotland international and serial trophy winner during his time with Celtic, is in his first-ever managerial post after taking charge of The Cod Army in the summer.
Fleetwood narrowly avoided relegation last season, only remaining in League One on goal difference, and appear to be searching for a period of stability after seeing Simon Grayson and then Stephen Crainey manage the side over the course of the 2021/22 campaign.
The second half of last term was tough for Fleetwood, recording only one win in 21 matches and battling against the drop for most of the campaign. However, Brown’s appointment signalled the start of a new and exciting era for the club.
Brown has overseen a summer rebuild at Highbury Stadium, bringing in 12 players and also allowing 14 to move on to pastures new on a permanent basis.
Transfer fees were paid for West Bromwich Albion striker Callum Morton and Colchester United midfielder Brendan Wiredu, while Luton Town winger Carlos Mendes Gomes has been recruited on a season-long loan deal, while several free agents were recruited to bolster the ranks.
Fleetwood have made a steady start to the season in League One and are unbeaten in three matches since tasting a 2-1 loss at Port Vale on the opening day of the campaign. A 2-1 home win over Plymouth Argyle saw them record their first victory in front of their own supporters since January and that result has since been followed by a 1-1 draw at Morecambe a 0-0 stalemate against Cheltenham Town at Highbury Stadium on Tuesday evening.
Brown’s side also saw off Championship opposition in the Carabao Cup last week, claiming a 1-0 success on home turf against Wigan Athletic and their reward came in the form of a mouthwatering home tie against Premier League Everton next Tuesday.
After conceding 82 goals in the league last term, Fleetwood have quickly proved in the early stages of the season that they will be a tougher nut to crack this time around and they’ll certainly provide Derby with a tough test in what will be the first competitive meeting between the clubs.
Rams On The Road
Ahead of each away game this season we'll be running a feature via RamsTV called 'Rams On The Road'.
In the third instalment of the season, we look at our opponents in detail ahead of the first competitive meeting between the clubs.
Match Officials
Ross Joyce has been
appointed as the Match Referee for Saturday afternoon's game.
The official took charge of 37 games in the 2021/22 campaign, showing 113 yellow cards and eight reds.
He will be assisted by Matthew Parry and Paul Newhouse on the lines, whilst Kevin Mulraine has been appointed as the fourth official.
Ticket Information
Derby's allocation of tickets for the game this weekend have sold out.
The Rams were handed a total allocation of 1,129 tickets for the match and these have now completely sold out.
Those fans without a ticket are advised not to make the journey to Fleetwood, as they will be unable to gain access to the stadium.
Broadcast Information
Domestic Streaming
Saturday’s match is NOT available for live domestic streaming under the EFL’s streaming rights.
The domestic market comprises United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey, and the Isle of Man.
International Streaming
All League One matches may be streamed outside of the domestic market irrespective of whether they have been selected for broadcast.
This means that they will be available both on a Match-by-Match basis and for monthly subscribers.
To buy the match as a Match-by-Match fixture, for £10 per match, or to subscribe to RamsTV on a monthly basis for £19.99 per month, click here.
Audio Commentary
Live audio commentary, provided by BBC Radio Derby, is available online ONLY on dcfc.co.uk.
A monthly audio subscription pass is available for £5 per month and purchases can be made by clicking here.