Contrasting Starts

Whilst Derby have managed to get four points from their opening two fixtures, Stoke are yet to get a point on the board, and thus find themselves in 23rd place. 

Despite a 1-0 win away at Wigan on Tuesday night in the Carabao Cup, Stoke have lost their two opening Championship games in rather disappointing fashion. On the opening weekend, Stoke lost 2-1 at home to a Queen Parks Rangers, a side that had preseason expectations of a relegation battle. Stoke only managed one shot on target all game, and that was Sam Clucas' late second half goal. 

Stoke befell a similar fate last Saturday away at newly-promoted Charlton Athletic, as they lost 3-1 to last seasons League One playoff winners. Despite a Tom Ince equaliser towards the end of the first half, two goals from Charlton in the last 15 mins made sure that The Addicks secured all 3 points.

Despite losing both the playoff final and their manager since the end of the last season, Derby, unlike Stoke, were able to register an opening weekend victory over recently relegated Huddersfield. New manager Phillip Cocu oversaw his side beat the Terriers 2-1 at the John Smiths Stadium, thanks to a brace from Tom Lawrence. 

Last Saturday saw Martyn Waghorn miss a penalty as Derby drew 0-0 with Swansea City at Pride Park, whilst midweek they were able to progress into the second round of the Carabao Cup with a 1-0 victory over League Two side Scunthorpe United. Lee Buchanan's second-half strike was enough to ensure Derby's win away at the Sands Venue Stadium.

Previous Meetings

Last season Stoke were undefeated against Derby. At the Bet365 Stadium Stoke ran out 2-1 winners, whilst at Pride Park, the match ended in a 0-0 draw.

Overall there have been 133 meetings between the sides since 1889, with Stoke winning 42 and Derby coming out on top 52 times. 

Team News

Predicted Stoke XI (4-1-2-1-2): Butland, Smith, Baath, Carter-Vickers, McClean, Cousins, Clucas, Allen, Ince, Vokes, Hogan

Stoke have a fully fit squad to choose from, apart from attacking midfielder Nick Powell, who is a doubt with a calf injury. After claiming that he got the last touch on Nathan Collins goal midweek, Nathan Jones could hand Sam Vokes his first start of the Championship season. 

Predicted Derby XI (4-2-3-1): Roos, Lowe, Keogh, Clarke, Malone, Huddlestone, Bielik, Jozefroon, Dowell, Lawrence, Waghorn

After making 11 changes midweek, it is clear that there is plenty of squad depth at Derby County. Besides right-back Jayden Bogle, who is out because of an injury sustained in last week’s 0-0 against Swansea, Cocu has a full squad to choose from. It's looking likely that new £7 million signing Krystian Bielik will make his Championship debut this Saturday, after impressing midweek against Scunthorpe. 

Key Clash

Tom Ince Vs Tom Lawrence:

Despite neither player having an outstanding campaign last season,  both players have the ability to push on and play crucial roles in their respective sides hunt for promotion this season. 

Last season Tom Ince registered 6 goals and 8 assists in 38 appearances playing on the right-hand side of a rather underachieving Stoke City side. This season, with Jones now in charge, Stoke are deploying Ince at the tip of a midfield diamond in behind the strikers. Ince has already registered one goal this season in his more central role, and will be hoping to add to that tally this Saturday. 

Lawrence had a similar season to Ince last time out. In 33  appearances Lawrence registered six goals and four assists in Frank Lampard's side. However, under Cocu, Lawrence has already managed to grab two goals in the opening two matches of the season. If the opening games are anything to go by, the left-winger will play a key role if Derby County are to succeed this season. 

What The Managers Have Said

Nathan Jones had this to say in his pre-match press conference.

"It was important we got the win in midweek and to get an end result for the work we have put in. We created a lot of chances and in the end took one more than the opposition to win it."

"It will be a tough game tomorrow no doubt about it. They've started the season well and are a good side, just like other teams in this division."

"We take every game on its own merits. You have to be flexible. We are focusing solely on tomorrow before then looking ahead to the next match."

In his pre-match press conference, Cocu had this to say about Derby's visit to the Bet365 Stadium. 

"It will be a tough difficult game for us, they will be very eager to get a win, a home win, their first win in the league"

"We have to be prepared, they won their cup game so they will feel better. They changed systems so they play a slightly different system than in the league, so we have to prepare and be ready for both options."

"Like always an away game will be difficult, but we also need to be confident and have confidence in our own qualities."