Back at Pride Park Stadium for the final game before the March international break, Derby County will be looking to send themselves into it on a high when they take on promotion-chasing Cardiff City.
The Rams head into the game off successive draws (kick-off: 12pm) and dcfc.co.uk has collated all the information you need ahead of the visit of Neil Warnock’s men…
WHAT’S THE LATEST TEAM NEWS
Derby County will be without Tom Huddlestone, who will serve his one-match suspension when the Rams face Cardiff City.
The 31-year-old was sent off for two bookable offences in last weekend’s goalless draw with Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.
Chris Baird, however, is once again available and could return to the fold against the Bluebirds.
Gary Rowett still has a few injuries to contend with at the moment after Joe Ledley, George Thorne and Matej Vydra and Sam Winnall all missed the local derby clash with Forest.
Tom Lawrence is also a doubt for the meeting with Neil Warnock’s side.
WHAT THE BOSS HAD TO SAY?
Speaking to RamsTV ahead of the weekend, Gary Rowett said: “You have to hand credit to any team that can put seven wins together, any team that can put that run together are deservedly ahead of us in the table.
“It’s an amazing run, they have a specific and unique style. They do it really well and Neil is the master of it.
“They have to continue to handle the pressure for the last nine games of the season.
“We’re capable of turning a poor run into a run of wins. We have been one kick away from starting that run, which can give you added confidence going into the future games.
“We have to continue to work hard and we have to maintain our belief in what we’re doing.
“We’re in a fantastic position in the league and we have a great opportunity with nine games to go, and we have to channel the recent disappointment into a positive result.”
ONE TO WATCH
He was one of Neil Warnock’s first signings, but Junior Hoilett has arguably been his best as Cardiff City continue to close in on automatic promotion to the Premier League.
Dominic Booth, a sports writer at Wales Online, told us that the 27-year-old is the ‘overwhelming favourite’ to be named as the Bluebirds’ Player of the Year.
A constant menace down the left wing, he has hit double figures in terms of goals this term and heads to Pride Park as Cardiff’s top scorer.
Hoilett originally came through the academy at Blackburn Rovers. After gaining experience on loan at SC Paderborn and FC St. Pauli, Hoilett went on to score twelve Premier League goals from eighty-one league appearances for Rovers.
Following Blackburn's relegation to the Championship, the Canadian international returned to the top flight with QPR. He would pull on the Hoops' shirt one hundred and twelve times in the league, netting on twelve occasions for the Loftus Road side.
HOW DO I SECURE MY SEAT
There will be no price increase on Sunday – meaning there is still time for supporters to purchase their ticket for Derby County’s top-six clash with Cardiff City for just £10!
The offer applies across all areas of the stadium and ahead of a huge final match before the next international break for Gary Rowett’s side, we are urging supporters to pack out Pride Park Stadium.
A £1 per ticket booking fee applies when purchasing by either telephone or online.
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.
SUPPORTER MESSAGES
Following the full-time whistle on Sunday, the East Stand concourses and kiosks will remain open until 2:45pm to all supporters.
The club can also confirm that a one-minute applause will be held in the 10th minute to Dolly Smith, who sadly passed away at the age of 107.
WHAT’S TO COME IN THE RAM
Fan favourite David Nugent is our cover star and headline interview for the Cardiff City instalment of our award-winning matchday programme The Ram!
Spanning seven pages, the experienced forward sat down for an in-depth interview looking back at his career as he bounced back from being let go by Liverpool to become an England international. The 32-year-old also reveals why he doesn’t wear moulded boots, firing Leicester City to promotion and his time at Derby County so far.
Jam-packed, as ever, with that and more exclusive features and content, supporters can purchase a copy of our 84-page official matchday programme for just £3 from all around Pride Park Stadium.
Click here for a full review of what other content you can expect to find in your Fulham edition of The Ram
OUR LAST MEETING WITH THE BLUEBIRDS?
CARDIFF CITY 0-0 DERBY COUNTY
Saturday 30th September 2017
Derby County produced an encouraging performance to hold Sky Bet Championship leaders Cardiff City to a 0-0 draw at the Welsh Capital back in September.
Gary Rowett’s side went closest to a winner when Craig Forsyth’s cross from deep crashed against the post, whilst Neil Etheridge denied David Nugent twice in added time.
In the end, both sides were made to settle as Derby kept their first Championship clean sheet on the road since January.
Cardiff City: Etheridge; Peltier, Ecuele Manga, Morrison, Bennett; Bamba, Damour (Tomlin 69), Ralls; Hoilett (Feeney 82), Zohore, Mendez-Laing
Substitutes not used: Murphy, Ward, Halford, Connolly, Bogle
Derby County: Carson; Wisdom, Keogh, Davies, Forsyth; Huddlestone, Ledley; Russell (Nugent 75), Johnson, Lawrence; Winnall (Martin 46)
Substitutes not used: Mitchell, Baird, Pearce, Weimann, Vydra
WHO’S THE MAN IN THE MIDDLE?
Andrew Madley will be the man in the middle when Derby County return to Pride Park Stadium this weekend to take on fellow top-six rivals Cardiff City.
Madley has officiated 36 games so far this term, the majority coming in the Sky Bet Championship. from which he has produced 108 yellow and just one red card.
This match will be the third involving the Rams that he taken charge of. He was notably appointed for the 2-0 East Midlands derby win over Nottingham Forest back in October.
In total, this weekend’s referee has officiated 13 matches involving Derby in his years as a referee, in which the Rams have claimed six wins.
Madley will be assisted by Neil Davies and Robert Merchant on the lines, whilst Scott Duncan has been appointed as the fourth official.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE ACTION
As this fixture has been selected for live TV coverage and due to international broadcasting rights, RamsTV will only be able to broadcast the match live in select countries, although a live audio stream of the game will also be available. Please click here for more information.
Here’s a full rundown of what’s coming up on RamsTV:
ONLINE NOW
- Pre-match Press Conference: Cardiff City (10.00am) - Full coverage of manager Gary Rowett’s pre-match press conference at the Training Centre in partnership
- Preview Show: Cardiff City (6.00pm) – Owen Bradley, Marc Edworthy and Sam Winnall provide a comprehensive look ahead to Sunday’s game with interview clips, stats and match footage.
SUNDAY
- Matchday Live: Derby County Vs Cardiff City (11.15am) – It’s an earlier start than usual as Owen Bradley, Michael Johnson and Tommy Smith build-up to the big game LIVE from RamsTV’s Pride Park studio ahead of kick-off at midday.
- Due to international broadcasting rights, RamsTV will be streaming the game live only in select countries, click here for more information, 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: Cardiff City (2.30pm approx.) – Head over to Derby County’s Facebook page to share your thoughts on Sunday’s result with Owen Bradley and Shane Nicholson in RamsTV’s interactive post-match show.
MONDAY
- Match Highlights: Cardiff City (12pm) – RamsTV’s extended highlights from the game the day before, featuring all the big game’s goals and key incidents.
- Review Show: Cardiff City (6pm) – Owen Bradley, Marc Edworthy and Roy McFarland will take a closer look at the game with the help of match action, interviews and all the key stats, facts and figures.
- Matchday Relived: Cardiff City (7pm) – Watch the entirety of RamsTV’s matchday production from the day before including the full 90 minutes of action along with the pre-game, half time and full-time analysis from the team in the RamsTV studio.
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 Pride Park Stadium.
