Derby County:
After a tricky start to the campaign, Wayne Rooney’s transition from player-coach to permanent manager at Pride Park has helped the Rams move away from the relegation places. County currently occupy 18th position in the Championship table, with ten wins, eight draws and 14 defeats from their 32 league matches. Derby hold a nine-point lead over 22nd place Rotherham United, and could move as high as 15th with victory in South Wales.
The Rams’ poor beginning to the season, which saw them sitting at the foot of the table for most of November, led to the dismissal of Phillip Cocu on November 14th. Indeed, County have enjoyed a mid-season revival under their new manager, moving out of the drop zone on December 29th and pulling clear of the bottom three in recent weeks. Since Rooney was named as Derby’s permanent boss on November 26th, his side have picked up 32 points, suffering just five Championship defeats.
Derby come into Tuesday’s clash with six victories from their last nine matches. In late January, the Rams recorded three consecutive wins, defeating AFC Bournemouth, Queens Park Rangers and Bristol City, with a 1-0 scoreline in all three games. Defeat to Rotherham United followed, but the Rams returned to winning ways by beating Middlesbrough and Wycombe Wanderers. In their most recent outing, County earned a 1-1 draw with their fierce local rivals, Nottingham Forest.
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