The Rams take on the Bluebirds in the first fixture of the 2010-11 campaign at Pride Park Stadium.

Derby County vs. Cardiff City

 Pride Park Stadium, Derby

 NPower Championship

 Saturday, 14th August 2010 - 3:00pm

Derby vs. Cardiff – Historical:

P 25 W 11 D 8 L 6 F 46 A 37

Last game at Pride Park Stadium:

Sunday, 2 May 2010  Derby County 2 - 0 Cardiff City (McEveley, Martin)

Form:

Derby - 9/24 P 1 W 1 D 0 L 0 F 2 A 1

Leading scorers: Hulse (1), Commons (1)

Cardiff - 12/24 P 1 W 0 D 1 L 0 F 1 A 1

Leading scorers: Boothroyd (1 + 1 Cup), McCormack (2 Cup)

The Rams:

The win against Leeds United had many fans convinced that we were going to win the Championship at a stroll, while midweek Carling Cup defeat at Crewe has the doom-mongers predicting relegation by Christmas.

The reality will probably be something completely different. The fact remains that given Nigel Clough and the board have made it clear it's long-term real progress we are after, there are bound to be upsets on the way. That may be so but the fans patience won’t wear forever.

As most fans probably saw us get a good result on TV, there should be few getting on the players backs if things don't go well on Saturday.

There are those who probably suspect the club don't take the Carling Cup competition seriously - Nigel Clough doesn't sound as if he had that attitude though, according to his comments in the Derby Telegraph:

"I thought we were disappointing in the first half and didn't play in the manner in which we should have done, given the seriousness of the competition,"

"We settled down in the final 15 minutes of the first half and started playing some reasonable stuff without threatening too much. Players took too many touches and took too long on the ball. There was not enough conviction."

"We started great at Leeds on Saturday but it is very difficult to pick up the pace of a game when you start slowly. But give Crewe credit. They are capable of beating any side on their day. We had enough situations, especially in the second half, but we are great believers that if you deserve a break, you will get one."

"It is unbelievably disappointing to go out to a League Two club for a second year running. We are only in three competitions a season and when we are out of one four days into the season, that's disappointing."

Clough wants the team to get back on track after the midweek disappointment;

"Cardiff are a side who I believe will firmly be in the promotion mix this season, so it will be a tough test for us. We're back at Pride Park though for our first home game and we're looking to get off to a good start."

Anderson is out again and Porter remains troubled by his hip problem but Leacock & Barker should be fit. Barker did well against Leeds, but is short of match practice. It would be terrible to lose him again so soon after his recovery by rushing him back - but we ain't got much choice.

Probable Team:

Bywater

Brayford Leacock Barker Roberts

Bailey Savage

Cywka Pringle Commons

Hulse

Subs – Deeney, Moxey, Leacock, Hulse, Martin, Varney, Buxton

Current Squad:

No.  Position  Player

1  KEEPER      Stephen Bywater

2  DEFENDER  John Brayford

3  DEFENDER  Gareth Roberts

4  MIDFIELD   Paul Green     

5  DEFENDER  Shaun Barker (vice-captain)  

6  DEFENDER  Dean Leacock

7  STRIKER    Steve Davies    INJURED

8  MIDFIELD   Robbie Savage (captain)

9  STRIKER    Rob Hulse

10  MIDFIELD  Kris Commons

11  MIDFIELD  Stephen Pearson   INJURED

12  STRIKER   Chris Porter          DOUBTFUL

13  KEEPER     Saul Deeney

14  DEFENDER  Russell Anderson   INJURED  

15  MIDFIELD  David Martin

16  MIDFIELD  James Bailey

17  DEFENDER  Jake Buxton

18  MIDFIELD  Ben Pringle

19  STRIKER   Tomasz Cywka

20  DEFENDER  Miles Addison    INJURED

21  DEFENDER  Dean Moxey

22  STRIKER   Luke Varney

23  MIDFIELD  Conor Doyle

31  KEEPER     Ross Atkins       ON LOAN TO TELFORD

32  KEEPER    James Severn

33  MIDFIELD  Arnaud Mendy

35  MIDFIELD  Jeff Hendrick

36  DEFENDER  Kallum Keane

37  MIDFIELD  Ryan Connolly

38  DEFENDER  Mitchell Hanson

39  MIDFIELD  Medi Abalimba

Cardiff City:

Cardiff had more success than us in the cup - running out 4-1 winners against BBC Radio Derby's favourites, Burton Albion. They needed extra time though. Dave Jones isn't worried that the extra half-hour will leave his team tired;

"Playing an extra 30 minutes in midweek was not a problem for us. It was a good chance for players to get minutes under their belt and we hope to build on the draw against Sheffield United by getting a positive result at Derby."

Jones admitted that Cardiff lacked sharpness in the opener against the Blades and was relieved to get a draw. Jay Bothroyd equalised after the Blades had been reduced to ten men - though Michael Chopra did have a goal disallowed for offside early in the game.

That Cardiff were playing at all must have been a relief to the fans - the summer has been dominated by goings-on in the boardroom and courts, with HMRC having winding up orders and the League placing an embargo on transfers.

They are not out of the woods yet with another winding up order to face. Meanwhile star striker Michael Chopra has public stated;

"I'm well hacked off.

"If this club does not bring in new players, I'm off. I've had enough of this."

Suggesting it's not going too well behind the scenes, despite the chairman claiming to be in it for the long haul.

It all sounds wretchedly familiar, doesn't it?

Current Squad:

No.  Position  Player

1 Keeper     David Marshall    LFT

2 Defender  Kevin McNaughton   LFT

4 Midfield    Gavin Rae

5 Defender  Mark Hudson (captain)

6 Defender  Gábor Gyepes

7 Midfield    Peter Whittingham

8 Striker      Michael Chopra

9 Striker      Jay Bothroyd (vice-captain)  LFT

10 Midfield   Stephen McPhail (vice-captain)

11 Midfield   Chris Burke

14 Defender  Paul Quinn

15 Defender  Anthony Gerrard

18 Midfield   Solomon Taiwo

19 Midfield   Jason Koumas (on loan from Wigan Athletic)

20 Midfield   Seyi Olofinjana (on loan from Hull City)

21 Midfield   Danny Drinkwater (on loan from Manchester United)

22 Keeper    Tom Heaton

23 Midfield   Darcy Blake    LFT

24 Defender  Miguel Comminges

26 Defender  Martin John

27 Defender  Adam Matthews

28 Midfield   Aaron Wildig

44 Striker    Ross McCormack

49 Midfield  Jonathan Meades

52 Striker    Nathaniel Jarvis

—  Keeper   Jordan Santiago

What the bookies think:

Derby are favourites for this at 6/4, whilst you can get 11/5 for the draw and 15/8 for a Cardiff win

Favourite to score inevitably is Rob Hulse at 5/1 while Michael Chopra is 11/2. Jay Bothroyd and Kris Commons are at 6/1.

Information for travelling fans:

Driving:

It’s M4, M5, M42 and M1 to J25 for Derby. Follow Brian Clough Way towards the city, until you see Pride Park on the right. The ground and away parking are signposted. About 162 miles and a three hour drive.

Parking:

Away fans can park at Catalyst on London Rd opposite the Navigation pub. It's about 10-15 minutes from the ground. Don't be tempted to park at Pride Park shopping centre unless you fancy being clamped.

You can also park at the Fireplace showroom - just at the turn off the A52 for Pride Park. Don’t be in a rush to leave however as it takes an age to get out of there.

Another alternative is to pass the exit for Pride Park on Brian Clough Way and head for Pentagon Island... Take the first exit and turn left and after a few hundred yards you will come to The Cattle Market Car Park. It's about 10 minutes walk to the ground from here.

Drinking:

There are a few pubs very close to the ground but if you come by train, the locale around the station is fairly inviting. The Crown and Cushion at the junction of London Rd always seems to be full of away supporters.

The Brunswick is a must for any real ale fans and the Alexandra next door is my personal favourite. Fans tend to mingle in these pubs and as long as you're not being aggressive, the atmosphere is good.

The Waterfall opposite the station is okay as well. If you are driving, the Navigation Pub on London Road opposite the parking area is your best bet. Around the ground there's a Frankie & Bennie's, Harvester and the Pride Park but these tend to be very busy.

There is also now a Gregg's The Baker's branch right in the stadium itself(!) It's just opening, where the Derbyshire Building Society branch use to be - so it might not all be hamburgers and hot dogs on offer! 

Mick's prediction:

A good result against Leeds followed by Derby's traditional first round exit in the Carling Cup – entirely predictable to be sure. Equally as predictable is that our players will start breaking down after a few games.

It’s a worry that we don’t have any strength in depth and if we aren’t in the transfer market then I would expect loans to appear soon.

We’ve not won two openers for 37 years – so I’m going to predict we’ll break that record, with a 2-0 win.

Photo: Action Images

WanChopeTwoChop added 00:47 - Aug 14 Great preview as always Mick! :) 1-0 to the Rams for me. Cywka with the goal after one of his twisty, turny runs and a burst of speed before a sublime finish!
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