Wanderers round up the final game before the second international break of the season with a trip to the East Midlands to face Derby County under the lights and in front of the Sky Sports cameras.
The Whites began another week of away fixtures in London on Tuesday night, taking on Charlton Athletic. A well-taken goal by Sam Dalby following an error from The Addicks was the only goal that would separate the two sides, as Steven Schumacher's side came away as victors on the night.
Derby County host Wanderers on Friday night, and are struggling in the Championship thus far this season. Sitting in 23rd place, The Rams are without a win in ten games, their last – and only win in the Championship this season – coming against Portsmouth back in September.
Our last game and visit to Pride Park took place when Derby County were in League One, back in 2024. A narrow defeat saw the Whites lose on the day, with Steven Schumacher’s men looking to set the record right on Friday night.
Form Guide:
Wanderers began another week on the road with another three points away from home. A tightly contested affair would see Sam Dalby’s solo effort be the difference-maker on Tuesday, as we came away from The Valley with all three points.
Derby County return to Pride Park following a heavy defeat on Tuesday night. Norwich City managed to score four against The Rams, condemning John Eustace’s side to a ten-game run without a win.
What they say:
Steven Schumacher: “We haven’t had much time, we didn’t get back until 4am on Wednesday, but the journey home was obviously an enjoyable one because we got a really good result. The lads have been in today, nice and bright.
"We went over a few things meeting wise, a few unit meetings and individual meetings. So as best as we possibly can to prepare for what’s going to be another really good game tomorrow.
“I think they’ve got some really good players. John (Eustace) has obviously spoke a lot about struggling with injuries and got a number of defenders out in particular. So it’s been a challenge for them to get a steady back four, which is never easy when you’re trying to build some sort of consistency. So, from that point of view, it’s been hard. But I looked at the lineup the other night with the start of the game against Norwich, there’s some really good players in that lineup and when they play really well, it can hurt you.
I’m surprised to see them down the bottom end of the division because of how strong they were last year, but again, there are circumstances behind that. We won’t focus too much about league position because we’re going to have to play 100% to the best of our ability if we’re to get any points on the board.”
John Eustace: “Obviously, we’re hurting. We were really disappointed in Tuesday’ performance. We’ve done a lot of reflecting in the group over the last couple of days and it’s really important now moving forward, especially tomorrow night, that we show that pride and that passion, and what it means to represent Derby County. We certainly didn’t do that on Tuesday, and we’ve got an opportunity now to make sure we put things right.”
“We win together and we lose together. It’s a collective and I’ve always said that it’s about the squad, it’s about the staff, it’s about the fans and what we’re doing at the moment is letting down the fans badly. We’ve sat down, we’ve had some tough discussions over the last couple of days on where we’re at and what we expect, and as I say, we have to wear that shirt with pride and represent this football club. Anything we do is very special, and it’s important tomorrow we go out and have a response.”
Team News:
Steven Schumacher is set to remain without current absentees John McAtee, Ryan Hardie, Ethan Erhahon and Eoin Toal heading into the fixture against Derby County. Gavin Bazunu is set to face a late fitness test before Friday night’s fixture to potentially place the Irish international back into contention. Josh Sheehan is also awaiting the outcome of his test on Friday morning, the midfielder – who has been called into the latest Wales squad – was withdrawn during the fixture against Charlton Athletic on Tuesday night due to potential injury.
John Eustace has added another player to the extensive list of injuries, with prolific forward Sammie Smozdics set to face six weeks on the sideline with a knee injury that has required surgery. The Rams top goal scorer so far this season – who joined on loan from Ipswich Town – has reportedly been playing with a knee injury for most of the season, with it now progressing and requiring surgery. Eustace also remains without a host of defenders – including Eiran Cashin, Matt Clarke and Craig Forsyth – and without United States striker Patrick Agyemang, who is still recovering from an achilles injury.
Kick-Off:
6th of November, 8pm.
Referee:
James Bell.
Tickets & Wanderers TV:
With over 2,700 of you joining us tomorrow, tickets for tomorrow night’s fixture remain on sale until 12pm on Friday, with NO on the day sales at the ground. To book a ticket, please contact our Ticket Office on 01204 328 888.
With the fixture against The Rams being selected for Sky Sports and international broadcast, only select countries and territories will be able to stream the match through Wanderers TV tomorrow night. To view your eligibility, please click HERE.
Alternatively, if you are not eligible, Derek Clark and John McGinlay will be on hand to deliver you commentary through the ninety minutes of action at Pride Park. To take advantage of our commentary passes, click HERE.