The fight for the League 1 title continues today with Derby County facing Readings at Pride Park Stadium. The Rams are looking to secure a promotion to The Championship by trying to catch up with Portsmouth. The Royals are planning on getting back to their winning ways after losing to Wycombe during the weekend.
On top of that, they’re trying to widen the gap between them and the relegation zone. Therefore, this is bound to be one of their toughest games and they have to bring their A-game if they plan on getting even a point from Pride Park.
Derby County vs Reading FC: Previous Games
- Derby County has won 6 out of their last 10 League 1 matches with 1 ending in a draw.
- Derby County has an average scoring rate of 1.78 goals per game.
- 6 out of Derby County’s last 10 League 1 games have ended in over 2.5 goals.
- Readings have won only 4 out of their last 10 matches with 3 ending in a draw.
- Reading has an average scoring rate of 1.35 goals per game.
- 4 out of their last 10 League 1 games have ended with over 2.5 goals.
Derby County vs Reading FC: Head-to-Head
Readings got demoted to League 1 in the 2022/23 season, but they have faced the Rams several times before. Derby was demoted under Wayne Rooney in 2021/22 and this is turning out to be their best season. Their head-to-head history is as follows:
- Derby has won 4 out of their last 10 encounters.
- The Royals have also won 4 out of their last 10 matches against the Rams.
- 7 out of their last 10 head-to-head encounters have ended with over 2.5 goals.
Derby County News
Derby County has been on an exceptional run at Pride Park; they have won 10 games at home. The last game they lost at home was against Charlton which is doing better than the Royals. Therefore, they’re planning on extending their weekend winning streak against Bristol Rovers.
Paul Warne’s men had an exceptional weekend with Martyn, Tom, and Dwight giving them their win. Unfortunately, Warne will miss 9 of his players in their match against The Royals. The latest addition to their injury list is Max Bird who picked a calf injury while training on Tuesday.
Bird may be away for over 3 weeks which is a huge blow to the team. But the team does have some great news with James Collins being expected back training by the end of March. He will be a great boost to Derby County’s hope of getting back to the Championship.
Derby County probable lineup (3-4-3): Joe, Nelson, Bradley, Cashin, Ward, Conor, Adams, Sibley, Nathaniel, Gayle, and Tom
Coach: Paul Warne
Reading FC News
Since getting relegated in the 2022/23 season, Reading has been having a very bad time. They’re currently trying to prevent further relegation; therefore, a win at Pride Park can be beneficial to them. Unfortunately, their away form is quite poor this season and they have only won 3 games on the road. They have also conceded the second most goals on the road this season.
Ruben Selles has been struggling but he was happy to announce the possible return that Jeriel Dorsett. His return will help strengthen the team against a formidable opponent with an almost perfect home form. Jariel has been away for over a month; in fact, his last match was their draw against Fleetwood Town.
Another player who will miss the Derby County vs Reading FC game is Tom Holmes. Holmes is still struggling with lower back issues.
Reading FC Probable lineup (4-2-3-1): Button, Jariel, Bindon, Amadou Salif, Andy, Wing, Craig, Kelvin, Harvey, and Azeez.
Coach: Ruben Selles
Derby County vs Reading FC Prediction
Even though Readings is fighting to get away from the relegation zone, Derby has a better team. They have had an exceptional home run and last weekend’s win helped them climb to number 2. Reading may have defeated Derby County in January, but I believe that they can’t lose this game at Pride Park.
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