3/1 To Win
Off the back of another memorable East Midlands derby, Derby County return to Pride Park Stadium for a second successive home game – this time to take on Sheffield Wednesday.
The Rams are looking to maintain their impressive home record against the Owls dating back over a decade, 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 will once again be able to call upon Bradley Johnson after the midfielder completed his one-match suspension last Sunday.
The 30-year-old was forced to miss the 2-0 East Midlands derby win over Nottingham Forest after collecting his fifth booking of the season before the international break.
Johnson, though, returns to bolster Rowett’s midfield options.
Sam Winnall will be unavailable for selection to face his parent club as part of his loan agreement, meaning Jacob Butterfield will also not be available for the Owls.
Max Lowe and Jamie Hanson returned to action in the Under-23s’ impressive 2-0 win over Liverpool, but both are expected to travel with Darren Wassall’s side on Saturday for their Premier League 2 meeting with Manchester City’s Elite Development Squad to get more match minutes under their belts.
Mason Bennett and Darren Bent remain ruled out injured.
WHAT DID THE BOSS HAVE TO SAY?
Speaking to RamsTV ahead of the weekend, Gary Rowett said: “We were pleased with our afternoon last Sunday and it allowed us to enjoy our evening a little bit more, which I’m sure the fans did as well.
“We’re sensible enough to know that it’s only one game, it’s only three points, no matter how much we built it up beforehand.
“We’ve got to try and create some momentum by building on some of the strong performances that we’ve put in recently.”
He added: “People were saying before the Forest game that we were under pressure, but now we’re four unbeaten, we’ve kept two clean sheets, but we’ve got to go again, it can flip the other way just as quickly so we have to maintain that home form and try to improve on the performance from Sunday.
“Sheffield Wednesday are the sort of team that can beat anyone on their day, but at the same time they’re having a season where the pressure to achieve something is sometimes difficult to handle.
“We’ll have to be on our guard and we’ll have to be focused on what we do.”
WHO IS THE PLAYER TO WATCH?
Derby County’s defenders will have to be on their guard should they come face-to-face with Gary Hooper on Saturday afternoon.
The forward is the Sky Bet Championship’s joint-leading goalscorer with seven strikes to his name so far this term and there’s no doubt he is enjoying his best form in Owls colours since moving to Hillsborough on a permanent deal in January 2016.
Since the end of August, there’s only two games that he has failed to score in for Carlos Carvalhal’s men, whilst he has also bettered his tally for the entirety of last campaign.
Hooper also scored the winning goal when these sides last met back in April as the Rams fell to a 2-1 defeat at Hillsborough.
The 29-year-old has enjoyed plenty of success throughout his career.
His goals helped Grays Athletic become Conference South champions in 2005, whilst he also lifted two FA Trophy’s during his spell at Parkside.
He was an important figure as Hereford United won promotion from League 2, as Scunthorpe United reached the Championship and as Celtic claimed two Scottish Premier League title and two Scottish Cups during his time across the border.
Notably, in 2012, he was voted as Scunthorpe’s best-ever player.
HOW YOU CAN SECURE YOUR SEAT?
The matchday ticket prices have been confirmed for Derby County’s Sky Bet Championship encounter against Sheffield Wednesday this afternoon.
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 - £29
Senior Citizens (aged 65+) – £21
Under-18s - £17
2 to 12 Year Olds - £10.50
* Category D & E prices are listed above.
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?
Following our latest memorable East Midlands derby victory last week, supporters will be able to pick up a limited edition free poster commemorating the win by picking up a copy of this weekend’s latest edition of The Ram.
On top of that, there’s plenty of content to look forward too, both written and digitally, as more augmented reality is incorporated across the latest instalment of our official matchday publication, through the use of the Layar Mobile App – which can be downloaded from the Apple Store or Google Play.
As well as containing a pre-match message from Tom Huddlestone, who stars as our Big Interview, on the front cover, supporters will be able to view much more content through the programme by simply scanning the pages!
Not sure how it is done? Here’s how!
Supporters can purchase a copy of our award-winning official matchday programme, which retails at just £3 from all around Pride Park Stadium.
On top of that, click here to find out what else you can expect from our #DCFCvSWFC edition of The Ram…
WHAT HAPPENED THE LAST TIME WE MET?
DERBY COUNTY 2-0 SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY
Saturday 29th October 2016
Two defenders were the unlikely heroes as Derby County extended their unbeaten run over Sheffield Wednesday to 17 games with a 2-0 home victory just under a year ago.
Cyrus Christie marked his 100th start for the Rams with a headed goal to reward a strong start to the contest, but arriving in fine form, Carlos Carvalhal’s side fought back to put Scott Carson’s goal under heavy pressure – particularly in the early stages of the second half.
Alex Pearce’s first-ever goal for Derby extinguished the pressure, however, as the hosts claimed their second win in three home outings.
Derby County: Carson, Christie, Keogh (C), Pearce, Olsson; Hanson, Butterfield, Johnson; Ince (Anya, 87), Russell (Lowe, 90), Bent (Vydra, 84)
Substitutes not used: Mitchell, Baird, Weimann, Rawson
Sheffield Wednesday: Dawson, Jones (Wallace, 74), Lee, Reach, Hooper, Lees (C), Palmer, Hutchinson, Pudil (Fletcher, 61, Nuhiu, 77), Bannan, Forestieri
Substitutes not used: Kean, Abdi, Semedo, Hunt
Attendance: 30,064 (3,104 away supporters)
WHO ARE THE MATCH OFFICIALS?
Scott Duncan will take charge of Derby County's 2017/18 Sky Bet Championship fixture at home to Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday.
Duncan has overseen 12 games so far this season, producing a total of 26 yellow cards and two reds.
His last Derby game was the 1-0 defeat at Leeds United back in January, a game which saw Bradley Johnson sent off late on for two bookings.
Duncan will be assisted by Philip Dermott and Akil Howson on the lines, whilst Simon Barrow has been appointed as the fourth official.
HOW CAN I FOLLOW THE ACTION?
Once again, supporters based outside of the UK and Republic of Ireland will be able to watch every kick of the action from the Derby’s meeting with the Owls; after broadcasting restrictions meant fans could only listen to the 2-0 East Midlands derby victory over Nottingham Forest a week ago.
Here’s a breakdown of what you can expect from our #DCFCvSWFC production:
FRIDAY
- The Sheffield Wednesday Preview Show (6pm) Host Owen Bradley is joined in the RamsTV studio by club ambassadors Marc Edworthy and Roger Davies to look ahead to the visit of Carlos Carvalhal’s Sheffield Wednesday.
- The Pre-Match Press Conference (7pm) – You have seen our interviews, but what was said to the local and national media? You can find out by watching Gary Rowett’ and Scott Carson’ pre-match press conference, in full, only on RamsTV!
SATURDAY
- U23s Matchday Live (10:55am) – Before a ball is even kicked at Pride Park Stadium, RamsTV will be crossing over LIVE to the City Football Academy where Derby County’s Under-23s will take on Manchester City’s Elite Development Squad, kick-off: 11:30am.
- Sheffield Wednesday Matchday Live (2:15pm) – Owen Bradley is back in the RamsTV studio and is joined by Michael Johnson and Deon Burton to bring you the final preview ahead of Derby’s meeting with the Owls.
- Matchday Live will be the only place supporters will be able to catch the final pre-match interview with Gary Rowett ahead of kick-off (3pm).
- If you are based in the UK and Republic of Ireland you will be able to listen to live audio commentary from BBC Radio Derby, whilst overseas subscribers will be able to watch every kick of the action – with Simon Barlow and Shane Nicholson providing commentary.
SUNDAY
- Match Highlights and our Matchday Live Re-Watch 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.
- U23s Match Highlights (12:10pm) – Look back on all the key moments from Derby County Under-23s’ Premier League 2 Division 1 meeting with Manchester City’s Elite Development Squad.
- Ladies Matchday Live (1:50pm) – RamsTV head over to Mickleover to cover Derby County Ladies’ cup meeting with Bradford City, kick-off: 2pm.
MONDAY
- The Sheffield Wednesday Review Show (6pm) Owen Bradley will be joined by two guests in the RamsTV studio to analyse Derby’s meeting with the Owls.
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
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.
