Derby County vs Stoke City; Sky Bet Championship
Derby County vs Stoke City. Sky Bet Championship.
Pride Park StadiumAttendance27,984.
Derby County 4
- M Waghorn (21st minute)
- C Martin (24th minute)
- W Rooney (67th minute)
- J Bogle (74th minute)
Stoke City 0
Derby vs Stoke preview: Championship clash live on Sky Sports Football
Watch live on Sky Sports Football from 7pm; kick-off is at 7.45pm
Saturday 1 February 2020 09:32, UK
Derby face Stoke in the Sky Bet Championship on Friday night, live on Sky Sports Football.
Team news
Tom Huddlestone will be absent for Derby. The former England midfielder is still sidelined with a calf issue and will not be ready for the Friday night league meeting with the Potters.
Krystian Bielik is a long-term absentee with a knee injury. Graeme Shinnie could return after a hamstring problem but George Evans and Mason Bennett will miss out.
Live EFL
New recruit Jordan Thompson might have to bide his time for his Stoke debut. The Northern Ireland midfielder has joined the Potters from Blackpool but remained an unused substitute in Stoke's 2-0 Championship win over Swansea.
Boss Michael O'Neill has admitted he could be reluctant to change a winning team, and that could leave Thompson having to be patient for his chance. Tyrese Campbell (hamstring) and Ryan Shawcross (calf) are still sidelined, and Stephen Ward has picked up a knock.
Recent form
Derby had been on an upturn in form since Boxing Day, winning three and drawing two, but that unbeaten run came to an end as they lost at Luton in midweek.
Michael O'Neill, meanwhile, has steered Stoke away from the relegation zone with three wins and a draw from their four games in January.
What the managers said...
Derby's Phillip Cocu: "Every job has its challenges - but it also strengthens you and the club. We just have to keep following our path. I just try to do the best I can for the club. [The Luton defeat] was very hard to take, and I still have some frustration in me.
"We have an excellent home record and we have to keep it that way. This is a different Stoke to the Stoke we played earlier this season."
Stoke's Michael O'Neill: "The midweek results show the nature of the league. Everyone is fighting for every point like ourselves. We face a difficult game [against Derby] and we won't become complacent.
"Derby County are a good side who are possession-based. We will be aware of the opposition but we have to concentrate on ourselves going into the game. We need to build on our level of performances of late."
Talking point: Onwards and upwards for Stoke?
The impact Michael O'Neill has had on Stoke has been superb so far. Taking over after Nathan Jones with the club stuck in the relegation zone, having won just two games from 14, they have since won seven of their next 15 to move five points clear of the bottom three ahead of the weekend.
It has been a remarkable turnaround for a side that seemed almost doomed at one point, and O'Neill has got a real reaction from a group of players who were badly struggling in the early parts of the season. Their position in the league table is now nowhere near a reflection of their performances on the pitch.
Latest highlights
Opta stats
Derby are winless in three home games in all competitions against Stoke (D1 L2), failing to score in all three such games since a 2-1 win in October 2005.
Stoke are unbeaten in five league games against Derby (W3 D2), with the last two meetings ending as draws.
Only Preston (32) have won more home Championship points than Derby this season (29).
Stoke haven't won three consecutive away league games since December 2005 under manager Johan Boskamp.
Wayne Rooney scored his first Derby goal in their 3-2 loss at Luton - Rooney has scored six goals in his last 11 league games against Stoke.
Since Michael O'Neill's first game in charge, only Leeds (27) and Brentford (26) have scored more Championship goals than Stoke (23).
Prutton's prediction
Just as you think Derby are on a bit of an upturn they go and lose at Luton, which is really disappointing considering how poor they have been lately.
Stoke are looking good now under Michael O'Neill. They will fancy themselves against anyone now. Pride Park is still a tricky trip, however, so I think I'll go for a draw here.
David Prutton predicts: 2-2 (16/1 with Sky Bet)
