3/1 To Win
After a solid point in their previous game against Fulham at Craven Cottage, the Rams will be aiming to bounce back to winning ways when they take on Queens Park Rangers on Tuesday evening.
With just one loss from their last nine games, the form displayed by Gary Rowett’s side is certainly promising and ahead of this next clash, dcfc.co.uk has pulled together all the information you need to know ahead of the Rams’ meeting with QPR.
WHAT’S THE LATEST TEAM NEWS?
Andre Wisdom returned to training on Monday, but whether he features in Tuesday’s meeting with QPR is a different question.
The 24-year-old right back missed the 1-1 draw at Fulham due to personal reasons and Gary Rowett said in his pre-match press conference that it would be unfair to expect the defender to play under such circumstances.
There are also doubts over Bradley Johnson and Tom Lawrence ahead of the game.
The former was substituted on 72 minutes with a hamstring complaint, whilst the latter has been struggling since the international break with a couple of knocks.
WHAT DID THE BOSS HAVE TO SAY?
Whilst the hard-fought point against Fulham was a good result on the road, Rowett warned that the improvement away from home will count for nothing if Derby don’t pick up the points in front of their own fans.
He told RamsTV: “When you’re putting in such good work away from home, you need to capitalize by winning your home games, and we’ve got three home games coming up that we can be incredibly competitive in.
“We were feeling very confident about what we’ve been doing at home and I don’t think that the last game against Reading should change that mindset.
“If we can continue the progress that we’ve been making at home, that then adds significant magnitude to the away performances.”
Rowett added: “With a game in hand, we knew that this period would be a crucial one, we’re leading up to the turn of the year and it’s important that we continue to build.
“If we win our game in hand then we can go up to fifth, so I’m pretty happy with where we are.”
WHO TO WATCH OUT FOR?
Whilst he has recently helped his nation to the FIFA 2018 World Cup in Russia, one-time Ballon d’Or nominee Massimo Luongo is also proving to be a crucial cog in the Queens Park Rangers midfield this term.
A product of the Tottenham Hotspur Academy, Australian midfielder Luongo had to move elsewhere in order to gain valuable first-team experience.
Initially he did so on loan at Ipswich in 2012, where he made nine appearances before two further fruitful loan spells at Swindon Town.
Over a short period at Swindon Town, Luongo’s impact was immediate and eventually it was a move that turned permanent in August of 2013 thanks to three goals from 12 appearances.
Two successful years with the Robins then followed before Chris Ramsey, the then QPR boss, sealed the Sydney born-midfielder’s signature on a three-year deal.
Remarkably in 2015, Luongo was named in the 59-man Ballon d’Or list thanks to his spectacular performances on an international scale after he was named as the Most-Valuable player in Australia’s winning Asian Cup campaign.
So far this season, Luongo has proved invaluable for the Hoops, featuring in all but one of QPR’s Championship fixtures.
HOW CAN I SECURE MY SEAT?
The matchday ticket prices have been confirmed for Derby County’s midweek Sky Bet Championship encounter against Queens Park Rangers.
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 - £26
Senior Citizens (aged 65+) – £19
Under-18s - £15.50
2 to 12 Year Olds - £9.50
* 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?
Derby County’s in-form forward Sam Winnall sat down for an in-depth interview ahead of this mid-week edition of The Ram.
The Sheffield Wednesday-loanee discussed netting crucial goals against both Norwich City and Leeds United, growing up watching Arsenal and Thierry Henry, settling into life at Derby and his desire to make an impact in any game he plays, whether it’s in the starting XI or off the bench.
As ever, supporters can purchase a copy of our award-winning official matchday programme, which retails at just £3 from all around Pride Park Stadium.
A brief review of what other content you can expect to find in your latest instalment of The Ram can be found here.
WHAT HAPPENED LAST TIME?
DERBY COUNTY 1-0 QUEENS PARK RANGERS
Friday 31st March 2017
Matej Vydra was the hero as his instinctive second half finish proved to be enough for Gary Rowett to claim all three points from his first home game in charge of Derby County.
The 25-year-old lively Czech Republic international forward reacted quickest to bury a rebound into the roof of the net – just reward for a controlled, assured and largely dominant performance against a Queens Park Rangers side that arrived at Pride Park Stadium as the Sky Bet Championship’s in-form side.
The Rams were indebted to the woodwork right at the end as Idrissa Sylla’s header bounced off the post, but Derby more than earned the three points as they returned to winning ways at the fourth attempt.
Nearly almost importantly, Derby produced another improved showing since Rowett took charge as manager just under three weeks ago now.
Derby County: Carson, Baird, Keogh (C), Pearce, Olsson; Bryson, Johnson; Ince (Hughes, 79), Russell, Vydra (Anya, 79); Nugent (Bent, 86)
Substitutes not used: Mitchell, Christie, Butterfield, Camara
Queens Park Rangers: Smithies, Freeman, Bidwell, Hall, Onuoha (C), Washington (Ngbakoto, 69), Wszolek (Goss, 58), Smith, Perch, Furlong (Sylla, 76), Manning
Substitutes not used: Ingram, Mackie, Robinson, Petrasso
WHO ARE THE MATCH OFFICIALS?
Paul Tierney will take charge of Derby County's 2017/18 Sky Bet Championship fixture at home to Queens Park Rangers tonight.
Tierney has overseen eight games so far this season, producing a total of 26 yellow cards and no reds.
His last Derby game was the 2-1 defeat away to Sheffield Wednesday towards the end of last season.
Tierney will be assisted by Andrew Garratt and Dan Cook on the lines, whilst Peter Bankes 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 Derby’s meeting with the Royals.
Here’s a breakdown of what you can expect from our #DCFCvQPR production:
MONDAY
- The Queens Park Rangers Preview Show (6pm) – Owen Bradley is joined in the RamsTV studio by club ambassadors Roy McFarland and Marc Edworthy to review the Rams’ 1-1 draw with Fulham and look ahead to the challenge QPR will pose at Pride Park Stadium.
- The Pre-Match Press Conference (7pm) – Gary Rowett sat down with the media to talk through a number of topics ahead of the visit of Ian Holloway’s side.
- The Last Three (8pm) – Gear up for the visit of the Rs by looking back on the extended highlights from the Rams’ last clashes with QPR.
- Matchday Live (7pm) – Owen Bradley is back and is live from the RamsTV with Michael Johnson to bring you all the final build-up to Derby’s meeting with Queens Park Rangers at Pride Park.
- 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 (7:45pm).
- 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 Jack Woodward and Shane Nicholson providing commentary.
- 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.
- Behind The Scenes (8pm) – RamsTV’s cameras went behind the scenes to bring you coverage of Derby’s meeting with QPR from a different angle!
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.
