3/1 To Win
After back-to-back matches on the road, Derby County return to Pride Park Stadium to take on Birmingham City this weekend.
A familiar face will be in the Blues’ dugout on Saturday after Lee Carsley took over as caretaker manager and ahead of the match, dcfc.co.uk has pulled together all the key information you are going to need to know…
WHAT’S THE LATEST TEAM NEWS?
Gary Rowett has confirmed that new signing Joe Ledley is likely to figure in his matchday squad for Saturday’s game against Birmingham City.
The 30-year-old joined the club on a free transfer earlier this week, signing a deal that will keep at Pride Park Stadium until January at least.
Ledley met up with his new team mates on Friday as preparations intensified for the meeting with the Blues this weekend.
On top of that, Rowett, the Derby manager, also gave a general update on the squad.
After pulling out early from the Under-23s’ 1-0 defeat to Everton on Monday due to illness, George Thorne has returned to training.
Curtis Davies (groin) and Matej Vydra (minor knock) are expected to be passed fit to keep their place in the starting XI.
Find all the early team news by clicking here.
WHAT DID THE BOSS HAVE TO SAY?
Speaking to RamsTV ahead of Saturday’s meeting with Birmingham, Gary Rowett said: “We have spoken to Carso (Lee Carsley).
“Some of the staff here still speak to him regularly and it’s ironic really because the same thing is happening now what happened a few years ago.
“He took over at Brentford when we were at Birmingham and it was his first game. I won’t remind him too much that we won that game 2-0!
“The intriguing thing behind this game is that if they hadn’t of made the change in manager, we would have had a really good idea about what to expect on Saturday.
“At the minute, it is very difficult to assess what they are going to do. I’m sure he will make changes and I’m sure he may even try and play a different way.
“He has spoken to the press about trying to play an entertaining brand of football so we have to prepare to face a Birmingham side that is motivated in a very different kind of way.
“Ultimately, though, this is our home game. It is up to us to make the running and they will have to try and deal with what we try and do.”
WHO IS THE PLAYER TO WATCH?
Loan signing Jeremie Boga has been creating a big impression at St Andrew’s after joining Birmingham City on a season-long loan deal in the summer.
The exciting Ivory Coast international, who came through the Chelsea ranks, spent the previous two seasons on loan with French side Rennes and latterly Granada, in Spain ahead of his move to the Blues.
He made his Chelsea debut on the opening day of the 2017/18 season, starting against Burnley in the Premier League – a measure alone of how highly is rated at Stamford Bridge.
But due to Gary Cahill’s early sending-off, he was substituted after just 18 minutes in a tactical measure.
Boga was born in Marseille to Ivorian parents and moved aged 12 to Chelsea.
He scored twice in the 2013 FA Youth Cup Final, which Chelsea lost to Norwich City on aggregate.
But he helped guide Chelsea to success a year later and also to the 2015 final triumph against Manchester City in a team that also included Tammy Abraham, Isaiah Brown and Dominic Solanke.
Boga has long been considered one of Chelsea’s most talented prospects and has often been used in the number 10 role.
Whilst gaining competitive experience he made 27 appearances for Rennes, netting two goals, and in Spain he memorably scored against Barcelona for Granada, among his 26 outings.
Boga’s skilful, agile dribbling and ability to go past people made him an impressive pre-season performer for Antonio Conte’s Champions, and earned inclusion in their first team squad.
He was capped by France at Under-16, Under-17 and Under-19 level, but committed to Ivory Coast five months ago and made his debut for them in June.
HOW YOU CAN SECURE YOUR SEAT?
Tickets for Derby County's next 2017/18 Sky Bet Championship fixture at home to Birmingham City are still available to purchase on General Sale.
Tickets are available from the following prices:
Adults - £29
Senior Citizens (aged 65+) – £20.50
Under-18s - £16
2 to 12 Year Olds - £9
* Please note that the above pricing is based on Category D & E seating.
Tickets for 2-12 Year Olds are available across all areas of the stadium for the 2017/18 season.
Home Membership Holders receive 10 per cent off their own home league ticket purchase.
Buy your tickets here: dcfc.co.uk/toptix/en-gb/categories/home.
Purchases can also be made by calling 0871 472 1884 (option 1) or in person from the Ticket Office during normal opening hours.
Derby County’s Ticketing Terms & Conditions for the 2017/18 campaign can be found here: dcfc.co.uk/page/ticketing-terms-conditions.
Full details on ticketing pricing and policies is available here: dcfc.co.uk/page/ticket-pricing-policies.
WHAT’S TO COME IN THE RAM?
Augmented reality will be coming to The Ram this weekend after Derby County teamed up with official programme suppliers, Ignition Sports Media, to bring the club’s official publication, quite literally, to life!
All you have to do is download the Layar Mobile App and start scanning the pages to unlock the various bits of digital content that will come with your matchday programme moving forward over the 2017/18 season.
This weekend’s Sky Bet Championship game against Birmingham City will be the first time the club has rolled out the initiative in the club’s award-winning matchday programme, which retails at just £3
Supporters will be able to scan Gary Rowett’s official notes, the Hull City match gallery and the squad page to view other pieces of content – the latter half an hour before kick-off to view the official match team sheet.
Future editions will include more unlockable content – all for free – simply by scanning pages using the Layar Mobile App from the Apple Store or Google Play Store.
On top of that, click here to find out what else you can expect from our #DCFCvBCFC edition of The Ram…
WHAT HAPPENED THE LAST TIME WE MET?
DERBY COUNTY 1-0 BIRMINGHAM CITY
Tuesday 27th December 2016
Derby County set a club record for home consecutive clean sheets the last time they faced Birmingham City as Darren Bent’s second half penalty proved to be enough in a tense 1-0 win over Christmas 2016.
The forward tucked away his spot kick, sending Tomasz Kuszczak the wrong way, after Richard Keogh had been hauled down in the penalty area by opposing captain Michael Morrison.
Nail biting from start to the end, the Rams had to work hard to keep the Blues at bay to claim a seventh successive shut out on home soil and prevent Birmingham from scoring away at Derby for the first time since 1977.
Derby County: Carson, Baird, Keogh (C), Pearce, Olsson (Anya, 9), Johnson, Butterfield, Hughes, Ince, Bent (Vydra, 76), Russell (Camara, 81)
Substitutes not used: Mitchell, Bryson, Shackell, Weimann
Birmingham City: Kuszczak, Grounds, Shotton, Kieftenbeld (Fabbrini,68), Gleeson, Jutkiewicz, Maghoma (Adams, 62), Stewart, Spector, Davis, Morrison (C)
Substitutes not used: Legzdins, Robinson, Tesche, Brown, Dacres-Cogley
Attendance: 32,616 (3,119 away supporters)
WHO ARE THE MATCH OFFICIALS?
Roger East has been appointed to take charge of Derby County’s Sky Bet Championship clash with Birmingham City on Saturday, kick-off: 3pm.
East has officiated five games so far this season across the Premier League and the EFL, from which he has produced 19 yellow and one red card.
His last Derby game came way back in December 2014 when he officiated the Rams’ 2-0 defeat to Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium.
East will be assisted by Derek Eaton and Michael McDonough on the lines, whilst Scott Duncan has been appointed as the fourth official.
HOW CAN I FOLLOW THE ACTION?
Due to EFL Broadcasting Regulations, RamsTV are not be able to stream this match against the Blues live, but supporters will still be able to listen to every moment of the action.
Here’s a breakdown of what you can expect from our #DCFCvBCFC Matchday Live production:
FRIDAY
- The Birmingham City Preview Show (6pm) Host Colin Gibson is joined in the RamsTV studio by former Rams defenders Michael Johnson and Shane Nicholson to look ahead to the visit of Lee Carsley’s Birmingham.
- Following our Preview Show, RamsTV will be streaming Derby County Under-23s’ game against Manchester United. Due to MUTV Licensing restrictions, this fixture is only available to paying subscribers. Full details can be found here.
- The Pre-Match Press Conference (3pm) – You have seen our interviews, but what was said to the local and national media? You can find out by watching Gary Rowett and Richard Keogh pre-match press conference, in full, only on RamsTV!
SATURDAY
- Our ‘Matchday Live’ production will begin with a pre-match show at 2:15pm ahead of the 3pm kick-off.
- Former Derby and Birmingham players Michael Johnson and Ted McMinn join host Colin Gibson as a live studio guests to give their final thoughts on the game ahead and team news coming out of Pride Park Stadium.
- Matchday Live is the only place supporters will be able to catch the final pre-match interview with Gary Rowett ahead of kick-off.
- Due to EFL Broadcasting Regulations, supporters will only be able to listen to live audio commentary from BBC Radio Derby.
SUNDAY
- Match Highlights and the full Matchday Live show will be available to view for supporters in the UK the day after each first-team fixture on 12pm across dcfc.co.uk and RamsTV.
MONDAY
- The Birmingham City Review Show (6pm) Colin Gibson will be joined by Rams legend Roger Davies and former defender Shane Nicholson in the RamsTV studio to analyse Derby’s meeting with Birmingham, before previewing what’s to come ahead of a trip to face Brentford and then Cardiff City.
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 Match Streaming (outside UK) - £110 annual subscription or £12.50 per month
First-Team Audio Commentary (worldwide) - £45 annual subscription or £5 per month
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.
