Bristol Rovers stand in their way, as they seek their third league win in a row in front of their home fans.
Last Saturday, Rovers secured a dramatic 1-0 win over Leyton Orient even though the O’s dominated possession and registering 17 shots throughout the game.
It was former Derby forward, Chris Martin who fired them ahead after half an hour and despite James Wilson being sent off with 7 minutes to go, they held on to get the result.
Their opponents, Derby County travel to Bristol after getting back to winning ways last time out against Port Vale. 3 goals, 2 scored by academy graduate Louie Sibley, meant that the Rams were able to retain their automatic promotion place but with Bolton close behind, Paul Warne’s side will know the importance of the upcoming fixtures.
In the reverse fixture back in November, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing scored a 90th minute winner after Martin had equalised only 3 minutes earlier.
It was a closely contested game and both sides will see the importance of getting the result this weekend.
Team News:
Bristol Rovers:
This weekend may come too soon for most of the injured players, but there are some positive updates that indicate it won’t be long before some key players are available for selection.
Matt Taylor spoke about the incidents of their last game against Leyton Orient, including an update on Jack Hunt. The 33-year-old pulled up 3 minutes into the game and is set to spend a couple of games on the sidelines. He will be joined by James Wilson, who was sent off after receiving a red card for an off the ball incident.
Grant Ward has been out since early January, but is expected to soon make his return, along with fellow midfielder Brandon Aguilera.
Jordan Rossiter, who has been out of action since December 2022 after his knee injury was more significant than first believed. Last week, he could be seen out in training and could be making a return to the team before the end of the season.
Midfielder, Luke McCormick continues his rehabilitation after sustaining a back injury.
Derby County:
Paul Warne is without a number of players this weekend, as his team travel to the Memorial Stadium.
James Collins, who is currently top goalscorer for the Rams this season was at first expected to be out until April however; the 33-year-old could now be back as early as the end of March.
Defenders, Callum Elder and Ryan Nyambe both missed recent games, due to injury but no update has been provided at this time.
Conor Washington initially picked up an injury whilst he was away with Northern Ireland and was making great progress on the grass in recent weeks. Since then, he has picked up a knee injury that has stalled his return to the team.
Craig Forsyth, who has been with Derby County for 10 years, is expected to be back in training this week. The management team are cautious not to rush him back into the team too quickly though and will monitor how the defender is.
Likely lineups:
Bristol Rovers:
Ward, Taylor, Marquis, Baggott, Gordon, Thomas, Conteh, Evans, Sinclair, Brown, Martin
Derby County:
Wildmsith, Nelson, Bradley, Cashin, Ward, Bird, Adams, Sibley, Mendez-Laing, Gayle, Barkhuizen
Key players:
Chris Martin
The ex Rams forward has been hugely influential to this Bristol Rovers team this season after joining in summer as a free agent.
The 35-year-old has scored some crucial goals this season when it has truly mattered for Rovers. His experience has been vital, as he has made an impact on the team’s results.
Martin knows more than most that the Derby County travelling support has the ability to spur on the Rams team to an away win, and will be hoping that he can make the difference for Bristol Rovers this weekend.
Louie Sibley
The Derby academy graduate, Louie Sibley netted twice for the Rams last time out against Port Vale as he seems to be finding his form.
At 22-years-old, Sibley has been involved around the first team for the past few seasons. He has been able to produce a couple moments of magic for Derby, but has sometimes struggled to find consistency in his game. However; he will be hoping that his recent form marks a turning point in his season and he can become a regular name in the starting lineup.
Match details
Where will the game be played?
Memorial stadium, the home of Bristol Rovers.
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.
