Dan.J's FA Cup Match Preview: Rams vs. Potters
Friday, 27th Jan 2012 13:33 by Daniel J Sewart

The Potters come to town looking to begin their mission to go one better than finishing runners up in the competition. Can Nigel and his men instead upset their top flight opposition and begin a cup run of their own?

Derby County vs. Stoke City

Pride Park Stadium

3:00pm – Saturday January 28th

Current Form – Last 5 League Matches:

Derby: 11th Championship – W, W, W, W, D

Stoke: 8th Premiership – D, W, W, D, L

Last time they met - 2008/09 Carling Cup:

Derby 1 – 0 Stoke

The Teams:

Derby

Considering the Rams have kept clean sheets in every match since the New Year began, despite plying their trade in a lower league Derby will try to shut out their more fancied opposition.

Jeff Hendrick may earn a recall following a spirited second half performance after coming on to replace James Bailey last weekend against Burnley.

If Ryan Noble is given the all clear by Sunderland to be cup tied by playing with the Rams, he may replace Theo Robinson who is carrying an injury.

Nathan Tyson and Steve Davis are close to resuming first team action but this weekends clash will come too soon for them.

Stoke

The Potters are fit and firing with nearly a full squad to choose from and Tony Pulis has promised to field a strong squad to take on the Rams.

Andy Wilkinson and Ryan Shotton could both feature now that they are fit again. Cameron Jerome could also return to the starting line up after recent good form while Kenwyne Jones may be the man to partner him up front.

Daniel J’s Match Preview:

The Rams will be desperate to take the game to their higher league opposition and considering the defensive form that they are in – they could very well shut them out.

The home side will jump out of the blocks early with the intention of showing they are up to the task of matching their Premier League opponent.

If the Rams can snatch an early lead they have the ability to hang on but they may need to score multiple goals if they are going to win this match.

In recent years Derby players have been embarrassed by teams in the cup, usually ones that sit lower on the table. It will be interesting to see if welcoming a higher level opposition will have the opposite effect on the performance.

Players love to front up against quality teams and try to prove that they are more than capable of stepping up to the next level. The likes of Barker, Shackell, Green, Bryson, Ball and Ward will have to be major factors in the match to ensure the win.

The team is likely to be unchanged from the one that gained a point last Saturday but if James Bailey and Theo Robinson have not recovered from minor ailments we can expect to see Hendrick and Noble replace them.

I honestly feel like the Rams can pinch this one but it will all depend on ensuring they control the midfield to give appropriate service to their front men while helping assisting in plugging any gaps that may form in front of the back four.

If not Stoke will pounce on any sign of weakness and then things could turn ugly!

Opponent Watch:

Rory Delap –

Because of his mighty throws ins and the fact that he is an ex-Ram! The second fact alone is the worrying point as far too often former fan favourite’s return to inflict damage on their old employers.

Daniel J’s Match Prediction:

Derby 2 – Stoke 1

The Word From Clough:

When speaking to the media – Nigel had nothing but praise for Stoke City:

"Since Stoke have gone up they have had significant investment which has helped them to maintain that and even push on. No-one could have coped and handled promotion to the Premier League much better than Stoke have. And they have set out to buy two or three more players each year to take that next step.

“Whether you like the way they play or not, it works and they play within the rules. I don't think they are an over-physical side. They put balls into the box and compete for them."

"Stoke have showed what a good side they are, Tony gets a lot of stick for the way they play, but his job is to keep them in the Premier League. He does that comfortably and they do well in the cups as well. He does a brilliant job.”

"You know what you are going to get from them, which doesn't make it any easier to deal with, but that is the way they play. There will be a few six-footers out there, set-plays and throws to defend, but that is what our centre-halves are there for."

"It is a fantastic story. We are talking about how well they have done in the Premier League and the FA Cup, but they are also competing well in Europe and have got a game against Valencia coming up.”

"Four years ago or so that would have been unheard of."