Bottom of the league Derby County takes on promotion candidates West Bromwich Albion in a Championship game at the Pride Park Stadium. The last time these two teams met, Derby were able to hold off the Baggies to a 0-0 draw.
The home side finds themselves bottom of the table with 4 points in 22 games. They ended their three-game winless streak with a win against Blackpool last week. Derby did well to secure the 3 points despite being hit by Covid.
Wayne Rooney‘s side will take some comfort from the fact that has lost only one league game at home against the Baggies in their last 30 meetings(stats via SkySports). They will want to maintain this record by securing at least a point against the West Brom side.
It will be a huge ask for the Rams to avoid relegation from here on. But a win against West Brom on Monday will do their side a world of good.
Derby Sky Bet Championship form: W D L L W
West Bromwich Albion on the other hand could go up to 2nd place with a win in this fixture. They have extended their unbeaten run to five games with a frustrating draw against Barnsley.
The promotion aspirants occupy the 4th spot on the table two behind the automatic promotion places. They have failed to exploit Bournemouth‘s grey patch of form. They will certainly be the favorites going into this game against the Rams.
West Brom has the best defensive record in the league, conceding just 17 goals. They will be aiming for their first win at the Pride Park Stadium since their 2-0 win in 2013.
West Bromwich Albion Sky Bet Championship form: D D W W D
Derby County vs West Brom: Team news
Derby County
The Rams had seven players isolating in their previous game against Blackpool. They will be hoping to get some of them back for this game. Defenders Kean Brian and Dara O’Shea will miss out due to muscle injuries.
Left-back Lee Buchanan has almost recovered from his knee injury and will be expected to make his comeback soon, but he is not quite ready for this game. Sam Baldock,ย Krystian Bielik,ย andย Jack Stretton will also miss out on this fixture due to injury or illness.
Possible Derby County starting line-up:
Allsop; Jagielka, Davies, Forsyth; Jozwiak, Knight, Bird, Shinnie, Williams; Plange, Lawrence.
West Brom
The Baggies coachย Valerien Ismael is likely to field the same line-up from their previous draw against Blackpool. Grady Diangana, Jayson Molumby, and Adam Reach will be eager to step on the pitch in case the manager decides to make some changes to the team.
Possible West Brom starting line-up:
Johnstone; Clarke, Bartley, Kipre; Townsend, Mowatt, Livermore, Furlong; Grant, Robinson, Hugill
Our prediction
West Bromwich Albion 2-0 Derby County
West Brom will be keen on applying the pressure on the 2nd spot Bournemouth. They will be very strong for the home side who are rattled by injuries and Covid cases. The Baggies defensive record suggests they will be difficult to penetrate.
The away side will dominate possession and if they manage to get the first goal, they will be very difficult to beat.
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