3/1 To Win
Derby County return to action under the floodlights following the first international break of the season when they take on Cardiff City at Pride Park Stadium on Friday evening (7:45pm kick-off).
Phillip Cocu’s side will look to restart their campaign with a victory and here, dcfc.co.uk have gathered all the information you will need ahead of the meeting with Neil Warnock’s side.
TEAM NEWS…
All six players to head out on international duty have returned to Derby fit and injury-free.
George Evans will be out for some time having suffered a muscle injury, while Mason Bennett is also a doubt having sustained a small injury during the international break.
The game will come too soon for Jayden Bogle who has been sidelined since the second league game of the season against Swansea City where he suffered an ankle injury.
However, over the break Andre Wisdom and Craig Forsyth gained their first minutes in a game situation following lengthy spells out of action with knee injuries in a friendly that was played against the Under-23s last weekend. They could feature for the Under-23s against Liverpool this weekend to step up their sharpness.
Lee Buchanan (hamstring) and Ikechi Anya (calf) are out, but Scott Malone and Florian Jozefzoon are available again after missing the Rams' final games before the international break with minor injuries.
WHAT THE BOSS HAD TO SAY…
Speaking to RamsTV, manager Phillip Cocu said: “From Monday morning we started training, some players came back from international games and all eyes were on the Friday game.
“We have had some time to have with players in individual meetings about their development and the way they play. It was very useful.”
On Cardiff he added: “Their manager, Neil Warnock, has a lot of experience, he has had success in the Championship so it will be a difficult game.
“The short history between the clubs also make it maybe a little bit bigger game for the club and the fans. That is something we realise.
“They have quite a direct game so it will definitely be a tough game but it is down to us. We had a good break, there is a good feeling and good work done so we are very positive about the game on Friday.”
HOW TO SECURE YOUR SEAT…
There is still time to secure your seat for the Friday night clash.
As always, the cheapest way to buy tickets is ahead of the game.
However, matchday tickets are on sale from the following prices:
Adults: £33 18-21 Year Olds: £23
65+: £22
13-17 Year Olds: £18
2-12 Year Olds: £11
* Prices are based on Category D & E seating.
WHAT’S TO COME IN THE RAM…
The Ram sat down with full-back Max Lowe for the fourth edition of this season's matchday programme. The defender talked in depth about his season so far, the international break and his switch in position to cover for Jayden Bogle at right-back.
We take a deeper look into the opposition with an extensive guide on Cardiff City, have an update from the Ladies and Academy while Krystian Bielik answers random questions.
As ever, The Ram will be jam-packed with news and features, and retails from just £3 from around Pride Park Stadium.
A free Greggs hot drink and sausage roll will also come with every purchase of the matchday programme!
THE LAST MEETING…
Derby County 3-1 Cardiff City
Tuesday 24th April 2018
Derby County returned to the Play-Off places towards the conclusion of the 2017/18 campaign when they stunned Cardiff City in the rearranged fixture at Pride Park Stadium.
The Bluebirds led at the break through Callum Paterson’s right-footed volley, but the Rams fought back as they ran riot over the visitor’s defence in the second-half.
Cameron Jerome bagged a brace against his former side with his goals coming wither side of Matej Vydra’s 20th goal of the season.
Jerome found the equaliser after holding off Sean Morrison in the box before rolling the ball past Neil Etheridge.
Derby continued to use their strength as Andre Wisdom muscled the ball off Yanic Wildschut and squared to Vydra who fired in from 12 yards out. Jerome added the finishing touches on 90 minutes after getting the better of Morrison again.
WHO’S THE MAN IN THE MIDDLE…
Darren England will be the man in the middle at Pride Park as the Rams face the Bluebirds.
He has refereed three Sky Bet Championship fixtures so far this season, producing five yellow cards and is yet to produce a red.
England will be assisted by James Mainwaring and Steven Meredith on the lines, whilst Samuel Barrott has been appointed as fourth official.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE ACTION…
RamsTV’s Matchday Live will begin from 7:15pm BST with Owen Bradley and former Ram Shane Nicholson building up to kick-off with the help of stats, analysis, pre-match interviews and lively discussion.
Owen and Shane will then provide expert commentary as RamsTV provides full multi-camera coverage of all the action at Pride Park.
As this fixture has been selected for live international TV coverage, RamsTV will only be able to broadcast the match live in select countries. A list of these selected countries referred to as ‘dark markets’ can be found here.
Fans based in these dark market countries will be able to stream the game as part of their RamsTV subscription, or for the one-off pay-per-view price of £5.
A live audio stream of the game will be available for fans outside of the dark market countries, including the UK.
Full streaming options can be found here.
