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Derby County
Norwich CityEleven defeats from thirteen Championship games. Let that sink in for a moment. Derby County have not just had a poor start to the season, they have had one of the most alarming starts you will see from a side that finished so close to the playoffs just twelve months ago. John Eustace was building something at Pride Park, or so it seemed. Right now, that project is in serious danger of unravelling completely.
Norwich City arrive in Derbyshire in a very different mood. Two wins on the bounce, a six point gap to the relegation zone, and a comeback victory at the weekend that will have done wonders for the belief around Carrow Road. Philippe Clement has his side moving in the right direction. The question is whether they can back it up on a Tuesday night at a ground where they lost last season.
This Championship fixture takes place at Pride Park Stadium, Derby’s home ground, as the Rams look to get something from a midweek game that feels absolutely enormous for their season. The Championship table makes for grim reading for Eustace and his squad, and with only one team below them on points, the pressure inside that stadium will be palpable from the first whistle.
Derby were already stretched before the weekend, and a heavy defeat at Millwall has left them even shorter. David Ozoh went off in the first half at The Den with a muscle injury and looks set to miss this one, which is a real blow given how little depth Eustace has to work with right now.
Eustace does not have much room for manoeuvre given the injury list, so expect him to shuffle rather than overhaul. Mowatt comes in for Ozoh, and the shape should remain recognisable even if the performances have been anything but. Zetterstrom starts in goal behind a back four of Johnston, Nyambe, Robinson and Hedges, with Mowatt and Clark providing the midfield base. Brewster, Szmodics and Meister will look to link with Morris up front.
Clement has every reason to stick with the eleven that came from two goals down to beat Watford. When something works, you trust it. Grimshaw in goal, a back four of Stacey, McConville, Cordoba and Chrisene, with Wright and Field sitting in midfield. Brooks, Maghoma and Musaba give the Canaries real energy in the attacking third, supporting Kvistgaarden who has three Championship goals to his name already this season.
Derby’s form is simply alarming. The 4-1 battering at Millwall was their third defeat in four games and their eleventh of the season from just thirteen matches. They found themselves three goals down inside seventeen minutes at The Den, with Kyrell Lisbie bagging a brace to put the game to bed almost before it had started. This is a side that has gone over two months without a win, sitting on seven points in twenty third place. Eustace takes charge of his seventy eighth game as Derby manager on Tuesday, and even a win tonight would not drag them out of the relegation zone.
The contrast with Norwich is stark. The Canaries were in a similarly desperate position just a couple of weeks ago, sitting twenty first and only three points above Derby. But back to back wins have completely changed the picture. The comeback against Watford was particularly impressive, coming from 2-0 down inside twenty seven minutes to win 3-2, with Ben Chrisene, Anthony Musaba and Paris Maghoma all getting on the scoresheet. That is the sort of result that can shift the energy around a football club entirely.
Six points from two games has pushed Norwich up to fifteenth, six points clear of the drop zone. They look like a team that has found something, and with Clement getting more from his squad, the momentum is firmly with the visitors heading into this one. Derby, by contrast, are a side playing with the weight of the table on their shoulders.
These two sides met at Pride Park last season and Derby won 1-0, which will give the home faithful a sliver of hope. That result came before Norwich appointed Clement, and it is worth noting that the Canaries are a very different proposition now compared to that period of instability. This will be Norwich’s first visit to Pride Park in over twelve months, and they will be determined to put last season’s defeat right.
Historically, meetings between these two sides tend to be competitive affairs. There is no dominant pattern that screams one outcome, which makes the current form of both sides the most relevant factor heading into Tuesday night.
The form book points firmly towards Norwich here, but there is something about a desperate home side under the lights that can produce unexpected results. Derby need this badly, their fans know it, and that atmosphere at Pride Park could be a factor. That said, Clement’s side have real momentum and looked genuinely resilient in coming from behind against Watford. My betting angle leans towards Norwich getting something from this game, potentially a share of the spoils in a match where both sides find the net.
Derby are a side under enormous pressure and playing at home in a must win situation. That combination tends to produce some reckless challenges, particularly if the game starts going against them. Expect a feisty midweek affair with at least three or four bookings between the two sides, and I would not be surprised to see a Derby midfielder shown yellow for a foul born out of frustration.
Norwich like to get wide and use their full backs to create overloads, while Derby will be throwing bodies forward late on if they are chasing the game. Both sides have enough about them to generate decent corner counts, and I would back over eight corners across the ninety minutes given the attacking intent both managers will demand from their players.
Mathias Kvistgaarden is the standout pick here. The Danish striker has three goals to his name already this season and has made the centre forward role his own in Toure’s absence. Derby’s defensive record has been woeful and they will be stretched at the back, particularly if the Canaries get behind them early through Musaba and Brooks out wide. Kvistgaarden is the focal point of everything Norwich do in the final third and at a decent price he is worth backing to open the scoring.
Both managers will desperately want three points but I think this one ends level. Derby will be driven by home support and sheer necessity, while Norwich are not yet consistent enough to go to a struggling but motivated home side and take all three. A 2-2 draw reflects the attacking intent and defensive vulnerabilities on both sides, and would feel like a result that neither camp is entirely happy with.
| Market | Selection |
|---|---|
| First Goalscorer | Mathias Kvistgaarden |
| Both Teams to Score | Yes |
| Total Cards | Over 3.5 |
A feisty game where both keepers are beaten, Kvistgaarden gets on the scoresheet, and the referee has his book out makes for a coherent and well reasoned combination given the context of this fixture.
Norwich are the better bet to come away with something here based on form alone, and Clement has his side playing with a confidence that was completely absent a fortnight ago. Kvistgaarden and Musaba will cause Derby real problems, and the Rams’ defensive record gives visitors every reason to fancy their chances of scoring.
But Derby at home, desperate for points, with a crowd willing them forward, is not a nothing. Eustace will set up to be hard to beat and the Rams will create chances of their own. My call is 2-2, a draw that does neither side much good but feels entirely in keeping with where both clubs find themselves right now.
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