Derby have had a pretty trying week all in losing two huge matches in the context of their season. They travelled to Middlesbrough last Saturday but they never got going at the Riverside and went down 2-0 – a result they were lucky to escape with such was the home side’s dominance. They followed that up with a 3-1 loss at home to Chelsea in the League Cup quarter final. There’s no shame in going out to the current Premier League leaders but they will want to put an end to this run of defeats as soon as possible and get back on the winning trail.
It’s been a strange season for Norwich who are back in the Championship after three seasons in the Premier League. They started the season very strongly and topped the early season table but an inability to hold on to leagues, especially at home, has seen them drop down the table. Back to back wins have seen them move back up to seventh in the table, a couple of points off sixth placed Watford. They will have taken great confidence from racking up five goals against 10 men Huddersfield last Saturday but they will also know a visit to Derby County will present a completely different challenge.
County looked a little tentative for the first hour of the match against Chelsea but that changed when Jordan Ibe was brought in. He was far more direct than his team-mates had been and troubled the Chelsea defence which had been comfortable up until that point. They’re a much better side when they are on the front foot and I expect Ibe to start on Saturday, in an attempt to pin their opponents back.
There’s few sides in the Championship which have the same depth to their striking options that Norwich have. The likes of Cameron Jerome, Gary Hooper and Lewis Grabban have all shown how capable they are at this level but Neil Adams’ problem has been finding the right balance – and keeping them all fit! Hooper has started alongside Jerome in recent weeks and it will be interesting if the manager sticks with two up top away to one of the strongest sides in the league.
It’s an attractive match on paper but there’s plenty of pressure attached to this game. Derby have lost three of their last four whilst Norwich will not want to lose any more ground on the sides above them, and are looking for three successive wins for the first time since August. Steve McClaren’s men have only lost once at home all season, though, and there was enough in their loss to Chelsea to suggest they can get back to winning ways here.
Derby 13/10 @ William Hill
