Derby County’s fixtures for the 2020/21 Sky Bet Championship season were revealed on Friday and, as ever, provided several key talking points.
dcfc.co.uk has taken a look at what we have learned following the release of the Rams’ draft fixture list.
What’s Our Start Like?
Derby will begin the 2020/21 season on home turf for the first time since the 2016/17 campaign and they will play four fixtures in the Championship before the October international break.
Reading will be the visitors to Pride Park Stadium in the opening game of the new season on Saturday 12th September.
Phillip Cocu’s side defeated the Royals 2-1 in their first behind-closed-doors fixture on home turf back in June, thanks to goals from Tom Lawrence and skipper Wayne Rooney.
The first away fixture of the campaign will see the Rams head south to take on Luton Town at Kenilworth Road on Saturday 19th September.
The last game of September will see Blackburn Rovers head to Pride Park Stadium on Saturday 26th September, which will then be followed by a long journey to Norwich City on Saturday 3rd October.
When Do We Play Our Local Rivals?
It has been a regular occurrence over the last ten years for the first East Midlands derby of the season between Derby County and Nottingham Forest to take place at the City Ground, and the 2020/21 season is no different.
Derby’s trip across Brian Clough Way is scheduled for Saturday 24th October, while the return fixture at Pride Park Stadium is down for Saturday 27th February.
What’s New On The Fixture List?
There are six new names in the Championship for the 2020/21 season and an interesting mix of teams once again.
Coming up from League 1, Coventry City are back in the Championship for the first time since the 2011/12 campaign, while Rotherham United have bounced back from the third tier at the first attempt after being relegated in 2018/19.
Wycombe Wanderers, meanwhile, are competing in the Championship for the first time in their history and Derby have never previously faced the Chairboys in a competitive fixture.
Dropping down from the Premier League and into the second tier for next season are Norwich City, Watford and AFC Bournemouth.
Norwich return to the Championship after a one-season stay in the Premier League, while Watford and Bournemouth are both back in the division for the first time since the 2014/15 campaign.
How Does Our Festive Period Shape Up?
The Christmas fixture list, in terms of miles on the road, has been reasonably fair to Derby.
They will take on Preston North End at Pride Park Stadium in the annual Boxing Day fixture on Saturday 26th December, before hitting the road for two relatively short-distance away games.
The final game of 2020 will see the Rams travel to Birmingham City on Tuesday 29th December, before starting 2021 with a trip north to take on Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough on Saturday 2nd January.
Derby’s first league fixture of 2021 at Pride Park Stadium will be against Rotherham United on Saturday 16th January.
What Are Our Midweek Games Like?
There’s plenty of midweek matches on the agenda – but not until October with the EFL prioritising the early rounds of the Carabao Cup in the opening month.
The first away fixture of the season will be a journey to Huddersfield Town on Wednesday 21st October.
Other away midweek matches include Middlesbrough on Wednesday 25th November, Brentford on Wednesday 9th December, Wycombe Wanderers on Tuesday 16th February, Cardiff City on Tuesday 2nd March and, finally, Preston North End on Tuesday 20th April.
In terms of midweek home games, the Rams’ first at Pride Park Stadium will be the visit of Cardiff City on Wednesday 28th October.
The other midweek home fixtures include Queens Park Rangers on Wednesday 4th November, Coventry City on Tuesday 1st December, Swansea City on Wednesday 16th December, AFC Bournemouth on Tuesday 19th January, Huddersfield Town on Tuesday 23rd February and then Brentford on Tuesday 16th March.
What’s Our Run-In Like?
The closing stages of the season are set to be action-packed.
From the start of April onwards, it’s full steam ahead with eight matches to play from the Easter weekend until the end of the campaign.
Derby face Luton Town at Pride Park Stadium on Friday 2nd April, following by an Easter Monday journey to Reading on Monday 5th April.
The rest of April is then followed up with a home game against Norwich City on Saturday 10th April, back-to-back matches on the road at Blackburn Rovers on Saturday 17th April and Preston North End on Tuesday 20th April and, finally, visit of Birmingham City to Pride Park Stadium on Saturday 24th April.
Derby’s final away fixture of the season will see them head to Swansea City on Saturday 1st May, before concluding the campaign at home to Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday 8th May.
