Derby County will visit Cambridge United on Saturday afternoon in their final away fixture of the regular 2023/24 Sky Bet League One season (3pm kick-off).
The Rams will make the journey to the Cledara Abbey Stadium looking to keep their automatic promotion hopes in their own hands, knowing four points from their final two matches of the season will see them over the line.
In the lead-up to the game getting underway, dcfc.co.uk has brought together all the key information you need to know...
Team News
Defender Callum Elder (groin) and midfielder Max Bird (calf) have been out of action in recent weeks but, after stepping up their workload and returning to training, they could both feature in some capacity this weekend.
Defender Craig Forsyth (calf), versatile right-sider Joe Ward (knee) and striker Dwight Gayle (hamstring) have sat out the side’s recent matches and they remain out of action for the trip to Cambridge.
Defenders Ryan Nyambe (quad) and Jake Rooney (knee) and on-loan forward Tyreece John-Jules are all out of action with long-term injuries, although the latter could return to Derby next week from his parent club Arsenal and resume training after being sidelined since January.
Pre-Match Thoughts
Head Coach Paul Warne spoke to RamsTV to preview his side's final away day of the regular 2023/24 season.
He said: "Cambridge are a good side; every professional team is. They are very good at defending set-pieces, so they have some real strength. On attacking set-plays, they have unbelievable delivery and a real threat. Bristol Rovers were good on the night, but Cambridge were really competitive. You can think back to some of the points we’ve dropped away from home this year, like Cheltenham and Shrewsbury for example, and remember every single game is difficult. Look at Liverpool and Arsenal in the Premier League last weekend, both losing when they were expected to win. Cambridge are good at home and it is a difficult place to play at. I am expecting a difficult match."
Striker James Collins sat down with RamsTV to look ahead to the clash with Garry Monk's side.
Collins, who has been promoted five times before in his career, said: "I am not one to look at league tables
and worry about others until you need to. It probably wasn’t until
Tuesday night I really looked at the table that much. Now we’re pretty
much on level pegging in terms of games played, we know what we need to
do. We have several players here that have experienced promotion before.
The main thing for me is that we stay calm and don’t panic. If you
panic, you end up losing your way of thinking and do things that you
wouldn’t normally. We don’t need to go off our plan. We know we need to
win on Saturday, but we need to stay calm and stick to the plan."
Ticket Information
Derby's allocation of tickets for this weekend's fixture have sold out.
The Rams were handed an allocation of 1,473 tickets for the match and these have completely sold out.
Those fans without a ticket are advised not to make the trip to Cambridge, as they will be unable to gain access to the stadium.
Match Officials
Paul Howard will take charge of Saturday’s fixture between the U’s and the Rams.
He has overseen 34 games this season, producing a total of 129 yellow cards and four reds.
The official took charge of the Rams’ 1-0 success at Port Vale back in November, with forward Tyreece John-Jules scoring the only goal of the tight contest at Vale Park.
Howard will be assisted by Kevin Howick and Ryan Williams, while Damith Bandara has been appointed as the Fourth Official.
RamsTV Details
Domestic Streaming
This match is NOT available for live domestic streaming under the EFL’s streaming rights for the 2023/24 season.
The domestic market comprises United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey, and the Isle of Man.
International Streaming
All Sky Bet League One matches may be streamed outside of the domestic market irrespective of whether they have been selected for broadcast.
This means that they will be available both on a Match-by-Match basis and for monthly subscribers.
To buy the match as a Match-by-Match fixture, for £10 per match, or to subscribe to RamsTV on a monthly basis for £19.99 per month, click here.
Audio Commentary
Live audio commentary, provided by BBC Radio Derby, is available online ONLY on dcfc.co.uk.
A monthly audio subscription pass is available for £5 per month and purchases can be made by clicking here.
Love Football Protect The Game: Fan Behaviour
As we approach the closing stages of another exciting season, there remains plenty to play for on the pitch for Derby County.
At a crucial stage of the campaign, it goes without saying that everyone associated with the club are hugely thankful for the support received from the stands this season, both in large numbers at Pride Park Stadium and on the road right across the country.
The noise and atmosphere created has played a fundamental part in the team competing at the top end of the table and Head Coach Paul Warne, his backroom staff and all the players are hugely appreciative of the fantastic support they receive.
At this important stage of the season the club must remind all supporters, in the interests of safety for everyone inside all stadiums that the pitch is for managers, coaching staff, players and match officials, while the stands are there for supporters to play their part and back the team.
At the end of last season, some clubs unfortunately witnessed unsavoury and unwelcome scenes with a small minority of people entering the field of play whilst other fans took to the pitch in celebratory mood.
Pitch incursions are dangerous and anyone who does encroach onto the playing surface will face strong sanctions that could include a ban from attending matches at Pride Park Stadium and across the country and police action.
It is a criminal offence to enter the pitch and the real-life consequences for these actions have been felt by many, with some fans receiving criminal records which can impact employment, education prospects and international travel.
It is not only yourself that can be disciplined. There could also be an impact on your family members and Derby County itself.
The club wishes to urge supporters to keep the pitch for players and the stands for spectators and avoid any unnecessary disruption at such a crucial point of the season.
Love Football, Protect the Game.
