Derby County will welcome Cheltenham Town to Pride Park on Saturday for a game of major importance at both ends of the League One table.
A disappointing midweek defeat left the hosts two points outside of the automatic promotion spot, while their visitors currently sit 22nd and seven points adrift of safety.
Match preview
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Derby County return to Pride Park at the weekend aiming to bounce back from a midweek defeat in the fight for League One promotion under the management of Paul Warne.
The Rams currently occupy fourth spot in England's third tier having amassed 53 points from their 28 games thus far, winning 16 of those while suffering seven defeats.
After staking their claim for automatic promotion with an eye-catching hot streak between late October and late December, picking up eight wins and a draw from a nine-match span, two of their seven losses have since come in the last five attempts, as their unbeaten run was firstly halted by a 3-2 defeat at home to Peterborough United on New Year's Day.
Warne's men would bounce back in style from that setback with consecutive wins, but they have since seen momentum halted again, firstly being held to a goalless draw by Lincoln City last weekend before travelling to Reading on Tuesday and falling to a 1-0 defeat as Paul Mukairu netted the only goal early in the second half.
While still only trailing second-placed Peterborough United by two points and leaders Bolton Wanderers by three, Derby County have played one more game than the former and two more than third-placed Bolton Wanderers, and they will be desperate to put the recent disappointment behind them and build another positive run starting at the weekend in their bid to take pole position in the fight for automatic promotion.
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Their visitors, meanwhile, travel to Pride Park in need of three points in their own battle at the other end of the division, having been cut further adrift of safety last time out.
After looking all but down and out with a single point on the board from their first 10 league matches, having not scored a single goal in those games, Cheltenham Town have since been able to stake a claim in the fight for survival since Darrell Clarke's appointment, earning 22 points from 16 League One games under his stewardship.
The improvement has produced the Robins' first six third-tier victories of the campaign, including back-to-back triumphs over Carlisle United and Shrewsbury Town either side of Christmas, and following a draw with Reading and a defeat to Northampton Town, they would move closer to jumping out of the bottom four with an impressive 2-1 win over league leaders Portsmouth in early January thanks to Liam Sercombe's second-half brace.
Following the abandonment of their initial meeting with Bolton Wanderers and the postponement of their scheduled trip to Burton Albion last weekend, Clarke's men would return to action in the rescheduled trip to high-flying Bolton on Tuesday, but they were unable to make it consecutive three-point hauls, eventually leaving empty-handed despite a valiant effort as Dion Charles netted the only goal in a 1-0 home win.
With several sides around them having enjoyed victories in recent weeks, Cheltenham Town now find themselves 22nd in League One, three points behind 21st-placed Reading and seven adrift of safety, and with games in hand on most rivals in the fight to avoid the drop, they will be keen to regain ground and move closer to climbing out with what would be a major scalp at the weekend.
Team News
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Paul Warne continues to deal with several selection concerns in his Derby County squad, with Ryan Nyambe away on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations, while fellow defender Craig Forsyth is set to remain confined to the treatment room alongside midfielder Korey Smith and attackers Martyn Waghorn and Conor Washington.
He should avoid making many changes from the defeat away at Reading last time out, with James Collins bound to again lead the line in their 4-2-3-1 setup having notched up a team-high tally of 17 goals so far this season.
He could again be supported by the trio of Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, Liam Thompson and Tom Barkhuizen, although Corey Blackett-Taylor will hope to earn a first start for the club after making his debut off the bench last time out following a January arrival from Charlton Athletic, while Conor Hourihane and Max Bird are bound to continue their partnership in midfield.
Cheltenham Town will travel to Pride Park with a relatively clean bill of health, although their squad has taken a hit in January with forward Will Goodwin departing for Oxford United after netting six goals in his last nine League One appearances for the Robins under Clarke.
That loss means Rob Street and George Lloyd should again partner up at the tip of their 3-4-1-2 shape, while Liam Sercombe is another attacking threat and will offer further support having notched up six league goals of his own since the change in management.
Behind him, Elliot Bonds and Tom Pett should again partner up in the engine room, while Lewis Freestone and Tom Bradbury will continue to line up in a back three alongside veteran Curtis Davies.
Derby County possible starting lineup:
Vickers; Wilson, Nelson, Cashin, Elder; Hourihane, Bird; Blackett-Taylor, Thompson, Mendez-Laing; Collins
Cheltenham Town possible starting lineup:
Southwood; Freestone, Bradbury, Davies; Long, Pett, Bonds, Ferry; Sercombe; Street, Lloyd
We say: Derby County 2-1 Cheltenham Town
Keen to bounce back to winning ways against a resilient Cheltenham Town side who are fighting for their third-tier status, Derby County face a difficult test on Saturday but should have the quality to come out on top at Pride Park.
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Sam Varley
