Fri 03 Apr - Posted in Breaking News
Time to read: 4mins
Derby County will return Sky Bet Championship with a Friday night trip to Coventry City (8pm kick-off).
John Eustace’s Rams will head to the CBS Arena following the recent March international break to face league leaders Coventry.
Derby will be buoyed by a win over Birmingham City last time out, their fourth consecutive home win in the league. Coventry also won before the international fixture period, easing past Swansea City on the road.
The Rams and the Sky Blues played out an entertaining affair in Derby’s opening home game of the 2025/26 season at Pride Park Stadium back in August. Coventry were 5-3 winners on the day, with Callum Elder, Carlton Morris and Ebou Adams netting for the Rams.
Derby will be backed by a sold-out away end in Coventry.
The Rams were handed a total allocation of 2,127 tickets for the match, and these have now completely sold out, with no further seats being made available.
Those fans without a ticket are advised not to make the trip to the CBS Arena, as they will be unable to gain access to the stadium.
Head Coach John Eustace spoke to RamsTV to reflect on the recent international break, his visit to Derbyshire Cricket’s training session and look forward to a tough test against first-placed Coventry.
Defender Dion Sanderson also caught up with RamsTV ahead of the Good Friday football.
It’s fair to say Coventry City’s season is more than going to plan with seven matches remaining.
Coventry have been at the top of the table at the end of 30 of the 39 Championship match rounds so far this season.
Frank Lampard came into the hot seat at the CBS Arena in November 2024 with the side 17th in the division, and he returned a fifth-place finish – the season ending in defeat to eventual promotion winners Sunderland in the Play-Off Semi-Final.
Mark Robins was at the helm prior to Lampard’s arrival in the West Midlands. Robins had lifted a faltering, struggling club from League Two back to the second tier and also orchestrated their way to Wembley, reaching the Play-Off Final in 2022/23, but their bid for a Premier League spot was thwarted after a penalty shoot-out saw Luton Town ascend.
Despite struggling in his final season, he is still regarded highly and set the foundations for the Sky Blues’ current successful promotion push, with Lampard building well on that work.
Having gone 12 games unbeaten at the start of the campaign, Lampard’s Coventry have been relentlessly consistent, piecing together four separate unbeaten runs of more than four matches this term. Their latest lasted seven games from 7th February until a 2-1 home defeat to Southampton on 14th March, with one draw and six wins.
The Sky Blues have been helped on their way to 24 wins and eight draws this term by seven players registering 10 or more goal involvements.
Most prolific of all has been USA international striker Haji Wright, with 16 goals and one assist, closely followed by Brandon Thomas-Asante, who has converted 12 goals and assisted four times.
With seven games to go, Coventry have 80 points and sit nine points clear at the top. With Premier League football surely in sight, the Sky Blues will provide a tough test for Derby.
Tom Nield will be the man in the middle on Good Friday, officiating his 21st Championship fixture this season.
Nield has held the whistle in six Derby matches, including two this season, a 1-1 away draw with Wrexham in September and January’s 5-0 triumph over Bristol City at Ashton Gate.
Across his 24 games in all competitions so far in 2025/26, he has shown a total of 81 yellow cards, one second yellow dismissal and no straight red cards.
Shaun Hudson and Conor Brown have been named as the Assistant Referees; Josh Smith 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 RamsTVAudio subscribers based both in the UK and internationally.
Information about RamsTV'sVideo Live Streaming and other services for this game can be found here.
The Coventry Building Society Arena
Middlesbrough
Hull City
Wrexham
Derby County
Norwich City
Birmingham City
Swansea City
Bristol City
