3/1 To Win
Holding a one-goal advantage, Derby County head to Fulham looking to finish the job with a place in the showpiece Wembley final at stake, kick-off: 7:45pm.
Cameron Jerome scored the only goal of the game in the Sky Bet Championship Play-Off Semi-Finals First-Leg and here, dcfc.co.uk has collated all the information you need ahead of the clash with Steve Bruce’s side…
WHAT’S THE LATEST TEAM NEWS
It was confirmed on Friday night that Marcus Olsson has suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury and will now be missing for a prolonged period of time.
That aside, Gary Rowett is likely to have a similar squad to call upon when his side travel to Craven Cottage.
Sam Winnall also remains ruled out of action.
WHAT WAS SAID AHEAD OF THE TRIP TO CRAVEN COTTAGE?
Speaking to RamsTV ahead of the Monday’s second-leg, Gary Rowett said: “You have to approach the game as if it’s 0-0. You can’t try to just hang on to a lead, we have to go and win the game again, and that has to be our mentality.
“A draw will take us through, but I don’t think that you can play for a draw.
“We know that we will have to defend similarly well, because they are a good side, and you can see that they have the players to open you up.
“We have to be positive. We can’t go to sit back and defend for the whole evening, and we will make sure that our tactics give us a chance to do that.”
ONE TO WATCH
Aleksandar Mitrovic has proven to be a revelation for Fulham since joining on Transfer Deadline Day from Newcastle United.
A powerful, robust frontman, Mitrovic has struck 12 goals in just 17 matches for the Cottagers and played a pivotal role leading the forward line as they narrowly missed out on automatic promotion.
The 23-year-old began his career in his homeland with Serbian giants FK Partizan, making his professional debut with their affiliate club FK Teleoptik.
Despite his tender age, Mitrović was top scorer for Partizan’s first team in 2012/13 as they claimed the title, and his form soon attracted the attention of Belgian outfit Anderlecht, who broke their transfer record to sign him in the summer of 2013.
His debut season in Belgium was a prolific one, as he netted 16 times to help his new employers win the domestic title.
Mitrović was in even better form the following term as he scored 23 goals, prompting Newcastle to part with a reported £13 million for his services.
He quickly endeared himself to the St James’ Park faithful with his wholehearted displays and ended his first season on Tyneside with nine Premier League goals to his name in the Magpies’ ultimately unsuccessful battle against relegation.
Mitrovic hit double figures for club and country last term, and also netted in his first two appearances for Newcastle at the start of this season.
In the summer of 2013 he was awarded his first cap for Serbia, and he currently boasts a record of a goal every three games, netting 11 times in 33 appearances.
HOW I CAN SECURE MY SEAT
After going on sale to Season Ticket Holders on Saturday, tickets for Derby County’s Sky Bet Championship Play-Off Semi-Final Second-Leg meeting with Fulham have now SOLD OUT.
Following Friday night’s home-leg win at Pride Park Stadium, the Rams head to Craven Cottage, where they will be looking to secure their place in the showpiece Wembley final, on Monday 14th May, kick-off: 7:45pm.
The allocation of 2,010 seats have been snapped up, making the game a complete sell-out for Rams fans!
The Derby County Ticket Office is, however, running a waiting list should they have any tickets returned.
Those interested in being added to the waiting list should email [email protected] with their name and Fan ID.
WHAT HAPPENED IN THE FIRST-LEG?
DERBY COUNTY 1-0 FULHAM
Friday 11th May, 2018
Derby County will take a lead to Craven Cottage on Monday night after Cameron Jerome's first-half header secured a 1-0 victory against Fulham in the Sky Bet Championship Play-Off Semi-Final first leg.
Pride Park Stadium erupted when Jerome found the net after 33 minutes, which means that he has now scored in four successive games for the first time since September 2005.
Fulham pushed forward in the second-half, but Derby were strong and they battled to secure a slender lead ahead of facing Slavisa Jokanovic's side again on Monday.
Derby County: Carson; Keogh, Davies, Forsyth; Wisdom, Huddlestone, Johnson, Weimann (Hanson, 90); Vydra (Anya, 68), Jerome (Nugent, 68), Lawrence
Substitutes not used: Roos, Palmer, Pearce, Ledley
Fulham: Bettinelli; Fredericks, Odoi, Ream, Targett; Cairney, McDonald, Johansen (Norwood, 88); Ayite (Piazon, 76), Mitrovic, Sessegnon (Kebano, 76)
Substitutes not used: Button, Christie, Kalas, Kamara
WHO’S THE MAN IN THE MIDDLE?
Christopher Kavanagh will be the man in the middle when Derby County travel to Craven Cottage to face Fulham in the Sky Bet Championship Play-Off Semi-Final Second-Leg on Monday, kick-off: 7:45pm.
Kavanagh has officiated 28 matches this term, in which he has produced 96 yellow cards and four red cards. The majority of his appointments have come in the Premier league, while seven have come in Championship fixtures.
This match will be the first involving the Rams that he has taken charge of this campaign.
In total, Monday’s referee has officiated five matches involving Derby and during that time three victories and two defeats have been tasted.
Kavanagh will be assisted by Dan Cook and Marc Perry on the lines, whilst Stuart Attwell has been appointed as the fourth official.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE ACTION?
As both fixtures have been selected for live TV coverage and due to international broadcasting rights, RamsTV will only be able to broadcast a live audio stream from the game will also be available.
Here’s a full rundown of what’s coming up on RamsTV:
ONLINE NOW
- Match Highlights: Fulham Play-Off Semi-Final First-Leg (12pm) – All the goals and key incidents from the first leg at Pride Park will feature in RamsTV’s extended highlights package.
- Matchday Relived: Fulham Play-Off Semi-Final First-Leg (7pm) – Watch the entirety of RamsTV’s matchday production including the full 90 minutes of action along with the pre-game, half and full-time analysis from the team in the RamsTV studio.
- Pre-Match Interviews: Play-Off Semi-Final Second Leg – Gary Rowett and a member of his first team squad will be sharing their thoughts on the first leg result with RamsTV before looking ahead to the second-leg at Craven Cottage.
MONDAY
- Matchday Live: Fulham Vs Derby County Play-Off Semi-Final Second-Leg (7pm) – Owen Bradley will be joined LIVE in the RamsTV Studio by former Derby defenders Marc Edworthy and Shaun Barker as they build up to the all-important second-leg.
- RamsTV subscribers will be able to listen to audio coverage of the game and also watch extended highlights and a replay of the full 90 minutes the following day.
- Post-Match Extra (10:15pm approx.) Head over to Derby County’s Facebook page for immediate post-match reaction from Owen Bradley and former Ram Shane Nicholson.
TUESDAY
- Match Highlights: Fulham Play-Off Semi-Final Second-Leg (12pm) – All the key moments from the second leg of the semi-final at Craven Cottage.
- Matchday Relived: Play-Off Semi-Final Second-Leg (7pm) – Relive the full 90 (and extra time if required) from the evening before.
WEDNESDAY
- The Play-Off Review Show (6pm) – Owen Bradley, Michael Johnson and Owen Bradley take an in-depth look at how the Rams got on over the two legs against Fulham.
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 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 Craven Cottage.
