Fri 27 Feb - Posted in Breaking News
Time to read: 6mins
Derby County will be looking for a second win in succession on home soil when they welcome Blackburn Rovers to Pride Park Stadium on Saturday lunchtime (12:30pm kick-off).
The Rams defeated Swansea City in DE24 a fortnight ago and will be seeking a positive reaction to suffering back-to-back away defeats in the interim.
Blackburn, meanwhile, are hoping to pull clear of the relegation places. Now under the tutelage of Northern Irishman Michael O’Neill, Rovers sit four points clear of the drop zone heading into Saturday’s clash.
Head Coach John Eustace – as well as a host of current Rams, including skipper Lewis Travis and loanee Sam Szmodics – have all formed part of the Blackburn setup in recent seasons.
Tickets for the Rams' latest home game are still available and can be purchased online, over the phone or in person from the Ticket Office.
The Ticket Office is open from 9am until kick-off on matchday.
Supporters are urged to buy tickets in advance to avoid the matchday price increase.
Find out more ticket details for Saturday's match by clicking here.
The steadying hand of former Stoke City man Michael O’Neill has been brought in to guide Blackburn Rovers away from increasingly choppy waters towards the bottom of the Championship table.
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After just missing out on the play-offs last season, there were hopes that Rovers could push on towards the top end this campaign, but things have not quite gone to plan so far.
The Ewood Park club ended last term seventh in the table, two points behind Bristol City in the last play-off spot, but this season they have spent all but one weekend in the bottom six.
At the start of February, the club decided to part company with head coach Valérien Ismaël after almost a year in the job, with the team sitting inside the relegation zone.
The change in direction was announced on transfer deadline day, even though the club had worked to bring in three first-team recruits during the window, including former Derby defender Eiran Cashin on loan from Brighton and Hove Albion.
Interim boss Damien Johnson oversaw a couple of games, including a victory over bottom-club Sheffield Wednesday, before the club turned to Northern Ireland boss O’Neill as the new head coach with the 56-year-old taking the position alongside his international commitments until the summer.
It’s going to be a juggling act for the former Stoke City manager, as Northern Ireland still have a shot at qualifying for the World Cup finals. At the end of March, they face Italy in a play-off game to be played in Bergamo. If they get through that fixture, they will travel to either Wales or Bosnia-Herzegovina for a place at the finals, with a spot in Group B alongside Switzerland, Qatar and co-hosts Canada up for grabs.
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But World Cup aspirations have not proved a distraction for O’Neill as he has started the job of easing the Ewood Park club away from relegation strife. Victory at Queens Park Rangers in his opening game, followed by a 1-0 home win against Lancashire rivals Preston North End last weekend, not only took the club out of the bottom three but opened a six-point gap to the drop zone.
A first loss last Tuesday evening, when O’Neill said his side were made to pay for a “disappointing” first half in their 2-1 home defeat by Bristol City, cut the safety bubble to four points with 12 games of the season to go.
O’Neill has previous relegation-battling experience, having secured safety for Stoke in his first season in the Potteries in 2019/20, having joined then second-bottom of the division in November and seeing them finish 15th on the final day of the season.
Rovers will be hoping the Northern Irishman can repeat that feat of safety in less time, with just 12 remaining matches.
It’s difficult to look beyond last year’s meeting at Pride Park for a match of greater significance, as the Rams picked up a 2-1 win to give recently appointed Head Coach John Eustace his first victory as Derby boss.
Having chosen to depart Blackburn for Derby three weeks earlier, the fixture already carried its own narrative off the pitch – and the fervour felt on the touchline that day translated into a frantic start.
The Rams raced into a two-goal lead inside seven minutes thanks to goals from Craig Forsyth and Ebou Adams, sending Pride Park into delirium.
First, Forsyth slid in to bundle home after Nat Phillips knocked a free-kick down into his path, before a low cross from Marcus Harness eventually fell to Adams to double Derby’s lead.
Makhtar Gueye got Blackburn back into it just before the break, but the Rams hung on to give Eustace three points over his former club and move off the bottom of the Championship.
Head Coach John Eustace sat down with RamsTV ahead of his side’s home clash with Rovers.
Attacker Sam Szmodics also sat down with RamsTV after netting his first goal for the club on Tuesday night.
Get your Derby County matchday programme, 'The Ram' - including an exclusive interview with defender Callum Elder - at Pride Park Stadium on Saturday!
The Ram is sold around the stadium ahead of the game for £4 or can be ordered for home delivery.
Find out more by clicking here.
Taking charge of Saturday’s clash will be Leigh Doughty. He has officiated one of Derby’s Sky Bet Championship fixtures this term, presiding over the Rams’ 2-2 draw away at Ipswich Town in August.
His last game at Pride Park came during the Rams’ promotion-winning campaign in 2023/24, refereeing a 2-1 win against Cheltenham Town in January 2024.
Across his 29 league and cup matches so far in 2025/26, Doughty has shown a total of 127 yellow cards and two red cards.
Richard Woodward and Jacob Graham will run the line after being named as the Assistant Referees, while Oliver Mackey has been appointed as the Fourth Official.
Live audio commentary for all of Derby County’s first team matches in the 2025/26 season - both league and cup fixtures - is available to RamsTV Audio subscribers based both in the UK and internationally.
Information about RamsTV's Video Live Streaming and other services for this game can be found here.
RamsTV's Match highlights will be available on dcfc.co.uk and the Derby County App shortly after the game.
Is it your first time visiting Pride Park Stadium to watch Derby County in action? Here's a handy guide to help you along the way with all you need to know!
If you're a Derby County supporter attending the fixture at Pride Park Stadium, you can find a wide range of details in our Matchday Hub by clicking here.
If you are a fan of our opposition at Pride Park Stadium, full information on visiting Derby County can be found in our Away Supporters Hub by clicking here.
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