In the reverse fixture back in October, it was a goal a piece as Rob Street scored for the Robins and Curtis Nelson equalised for the Rams, despite the statistics being in favour of Paul Warne’s side.
Derby County return to Pride Park with an aim to bounce back from their disappointing midweek defeat away at Reading, where they failed to register a single shot on target.
The home side currently sit in fourth place, just two points outside of the automatic promotion spots having accumulated 53 points from the 28 league games played so far.
Derby will see this as an opportunity to get back to winning ways in front of a home crowd, after their recent dip in form.
Cheltenham travel to the East Midlands hoping to get back to winning ways after a 1-0 loss to Bolton on Tuesday, and will be looking to emulate the performance they had against first place Portsmouth earlier this month.
The Robins find themselves in 22nd place and therefore in the League One relegation zone, 7 points away from safety. With games in hand on teams around them, they will be keen to use this to their advantage and build up the points to move closer to security in the table.
Team News
Derby County
Perhaps the most disappointing element of Derby’s loss to Reading on Tuesday was the fact that Tyreece John-Jules, who recently extended his loan with the club until the end of the season, came off with what looked to be a serious injury in the 90th minute.
In his pre-match press conference with RamsTV Warne revealed that John-Jules has suffered a severe hamstring tear and “will be out for the foreseeable future.”
The Derby manager said: “It’s bad news for him and the club. I’m devastated for him… He’s such a talent.”
The young 22-year-old striker’s injury is another blow to the Rams front line, as both Martyn Waghorn and Conor Washington remain unavailable and are only expected to return to the squad in February.
Craig Forsyth is ruled out of this weekends fixture, due to an injury he picked up earlier this month.
Derby are still without defender, Ryan Nyambe who is currently on international duty with Namibia.
Warne said, “I’m not going to go into great depth… I’ve got a couple of fitness tests today of risks, another one who can’t play”
“We’re a little bit low on numbers this week.”
Despite the lengthy injury list, Korey Smith has made his return to training and could be back involved in the matchday squad soon.
As well as this, the Rams made their first new signing of the January transfer window announcing the arrival of Corey Blackett-Taylor on an initial loan deal from Charlton Athletic. This season, in his 28 appearances in all competitions for the Addicks, he recorded an impressive nine goals and seven assists.
The 26-year-old made a promising debut for the Rams after being substituted on against Reading, and Derby fans will be hoping that he can build upon this for the remainder of the season.
Cheltenham Town
Darrell Clarke’s side travel to Pride Park with no new injuries to report.
The Robins have had a busy January transfer window, which started with the announcement that six loan players were to return to their parent clubs.
In his first interview after their departures, Clarke said, “This has allowed us to free up funds that we are going to need to bring in two or three quality players into the team.”
Cheltenham announced that midfielder, Tom Pett signed a contract extension, which is keeping him at the club until the end of the season.
One week ago, the Robins revealed that striker Will Goodwin had left the club to join League One high-flyers Oxford United for an undisclosed fee.
Having lost seven players in one transfer window, Clarke said: “We continue our focus on improving performances with our squad on the pitch and improving it with a positive transfer window.”
In the past week, Cheltenham have added three new players to their squad, including 28-year-old midfielder Josh Harrop.
He joins the club following a successful trial period and signs a deal until the end of the season. His experience in the English football pyramid is vital to the Robins in their fight for League One safety.
Another experienced midfielder was introduced to the squad this week, as Cheltenham Town announced the signing of Liam Kinsella on an 18-month-contract.
Kinsella reunites with manager, Clarke who said: “I’ve worked with Kins before at Walsall and he’s a real consistent performer. Whether that’s with his performance or his energy levels.”
The Robins have not only introduced experience to the squad, but also brought in young centre back Andy Smith on loan from Championship club Hull City.
The 22-year-old has experience as a loanee player at Grimsby Town, where he had two seperate loan spells. Smith played 67 times for Grimsby and helped the Mariners get back to the Football League before confirming their League Two status.
The travelling Cheltenham fans will be hoping to see at least one of their new players in action against Derby this weekend.
Key Players
Corey Blackett-Taylor
Corey Blackett-Taylor signed for the Rams earlier in the week and made his debut on Tuesday, coming off the bench against Reading.
Despite only being on the pitch for half an hour, Blackett-Taylor made a positive first impression as Derby fans were pleased with the impact he had on the game.
With the growing list of injuries to players in the attacking positions for Derby, fans will be hoping that the 26-year-old can support the likes of Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and James Collins in creating chances.
The ambitions of the midfielder were clear in his first interview with the club where he said: “I believe in the project for the next 12/18 months…
“I believe I can add a lot to the team and help them get into the higher leagues.”
He will be hoping that as the season goes on he can become a regular in Warne’s starting team, and fulfil the hopes he has for himself and the team.
Liam Sercombe
It is clear that Cheltenham Town have seen improved form since changing their manager in early October.
Most recently, this can be seen when The Robins enjoyed a shock result at the beginning of January with a fantastic win over league leaders Portsmouth.
Liam Sercombe's quick-fire second half brace sealed a valuable three points.
The midfielder recently reached 650 career appearances and his experience is vital to Cheltenham Town in their relegation battle.
Since joining the club 3 and a half years ago, he has been an everpresent figure for the Robins, becoming a fan favourite. He understands what this club means to the fans and how passionate they are about the club staying in the third tier.
Match details
Where will the game be played?
Pride Park, the home of Derby County.
When is kick off?
Kick off is 3:00pm, UK time.
How to watch
Taking place during the blackout, viewers in the UK cannot watch the game, but local broadcasters around the world may be televising the match.
