Separated by just two points in the middle of the Championship table, Derby County and Sheffield Wednesday will do battle at Pride Park on Sunday.
The visitors leapfrogged the hosts with a midweek victory, climbing to 13th spot while their opponents sit 15th in the midst of a three-match winless run.
Match preview
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Derby County head into the weekend aiming to bounce back from a midweek defeat and end a three-match wait for a victory, having dropped into the Championship's bottom half in recent weeks.
After winning promotion from England's third tier last time around, the Rams have earned 20 points from their first 17 outings, picking up five victories alongside seven defeats, having mainly impressed in attack with only two sides outside of the playoff places having netted more than their 21 goals ahead of the weekend.
Paul Warne's side picked up their two most recent wins in a six game streak between early October and early November which produced nine points and only a single defeat, but they have failed to build on that run since, going on to play out 1-1 draws with Plymouth Argyle and Preston North End either side of the November international break.
Swansea City then visited Pride Park on Wednesday and left with all three points, as Nathaniel Mendez-Laing's penalty was not enough to spark a turnaround in an eventual 2-1 defeat after Zan Vipotnik and Ronald had the visitors two goals up inside 15 minutes.
Having dropped to 15th spot following that setback, albeit leading the bottom three by five points and only trailing 10th spot by two, Derby County will be keen to bounce back and leapfrog their visitors with a return to winning ways at Pride Park on Sunday.
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They face a tough test, though, as the visitors arrive aiming to continue their climb into the top half with a second straight victory at the weekend.
Sheffield Wednesday's season has largely been defined by inconsistency thus far, albeit having enjoyed an eye-catching improvement on last term, when they only steered clear of relegation late on and finished on 53 points.
From the first 17 games in their first full season under the management of Danny Rohl, the Owls have collected 22 points and sit 13th, despite their struggles at the back with only four sides in the division having conceded more than the 26 goals they have allowed.
After heading into the November international break on the back of a 1-0 Steel City Derby defeat to Sheffield United, they returned to action with a 1-1 draw at home to strugglers Cardiff City last weekend, before visiting Hull City on Tuesday and bouncing back to winning ways as Josh Windass converted a penalty and Michael Smith added a second in the final 10 minutes of a 2-0 triumph.
That result saw Rohl's men move within touching distance of the top half, and they will now bid to continue their move up to the right end of the table by making it consecutive league wins for the first time this term.
Team News
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Derby County will remain without defender Ryan Nyambe and midfielder David Ozoh on Sunday due to injury issues, although Jerry Yates will return to contention after being ineligible to play against parent club Swansea City in midweek.
He should come back in and lead the line from the outset, having netted a team-high tally of four league goals so far this season, with Corey Blackett-Taylor, Marcus Harness and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing likely to continue in support.
In Ozoh's absence, Kenzo Goudmijn and Ebou Adams will again partner up in the midfield, while Eiran Cashin and Curtis Nelson should continue in defence despite competition from Nat Phillips.
Sheffield Wednesday will head to Pride Park without key defender Di'Shon Bernard, who is suspended after picking up a fifth yellow card of the season against Hull City, while fellow centre-backs Akin Famewo and Michael Ihiekwe remain confined to the treatment room alongside winger Olaf Kobacki.
In Bernard's absence, Dominic Iorfa should come in to join Yan Valery and Max Lowe in a back three, while Southampton loanee Shea Charles will continue to play a key role alongside captain Barry Bannan in the engine room.
Michael Smith could displace Ike Ugbo and spearhead the attack, after coming off the bench to score his fourth goal of the season on Tuesday, while Josh Windass is bound to keep his place in the attack having moved onto five for the season in that game.
Derby County possible starting lineup:
Zetterstrom; Wilson, Nelson, Cashin, Elder; Adams, Goudmijn; Mendez-Laing, Harness, Blackett-Taylor; Yates
Sheffield Wednesday possible starting lineup:
Beadle; Valery, Iorfa, Lowe; Valentin, Charles, Bannan, Johnson; Windass, Smith, Gassama
We say: Derby County 1-1 Sheffield Wednesday
Derby County have been relatively strong on home turf so far this season, picking up 14 of their 20 points in eight outings at Pride Park, and as a result we back them to share the points with a Sheffield Wednesday side who arguably boast more quality in their ranks.
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Sam Varley
