Derby County will aim to send shockwaves through League One with a victory away at table-toppers Portsmouth tonight, further reinforcing their spot in the second automatic promotion place and giving Pompey restless nights about the title in the process.
Paul Warne's Rams ground out a win against Blackpool last time out at Pride Park to rubber stamp their authority in the top two, with Cardiff City loanee Ebou Adams bagging his first ever Derby goal to win the tight clash 1-0.
The Derby manager will hope for more of the same away at John Mousinho's Pompey regardless of their league standing, the 50-year-old former Rotherham United boss eager for his side to upset the runaway third-tier leaders on their own patch to make it four league wins on the spin.
There will be a number of selection quandaries for Warne to ponder over to try and see if his Rams team can get the better of their tricky South Coast opponents at Fratton Park, with competition for places heating up in the Derby ranks…
Derby County team news vs Portsmouth
Warne will have felt relieved to have Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and James Collins back at his disposal in Derby's 1-0 win over Blackpool on Good Friday, having worried that both would be out for some time after picking up worrying injury knocks.
Mendez-Laing started the clash against Neil Critchley's side, whilst Collins was given a second-half run-out with his minutes a surprise considering his prognosis was, at one point, believed to have been that of a season-ender after coming off injured against Exeter City in mid February.
Both should feature in some capacity away at Fratton Park, with Warne revealing in his pre-match press conference that there shouldn't be 'any dramas' regarding who is fit and who isn't fit for the trip to Portsmouth later on away from the list of those known already to be struck down.
Dwight Gayle will definitely be absent from tonight's contest however owing to a hamstring concern, Warne thanking his lucky stars that Collins was given some minutes into his legs against Blackpool now consequently.
Other experienced faces in the form of Craig Forsyth and Tom Barkhuizen are also expected to be out, whilst it also looks unlikely midfield star Max Bird will be back and raring to go against Pompey after missing his side's last five League One encounters.
Adams performed valiantly in midfield to make the absence of Bird feel less impactful last game, but Warne could look to drop his partner in the centre of the park in Korey Smith after a poor display from the ex-Norwich City man.
Korey Smith's performance vs Blackpool in numbers
The experienced Rams number 12 would last 83 minutes of the contest before being substituted off, playing in the shadow of Adams dictating play centrally.
Smith wouldn't get anywhere near the numbers of the Bluebirds loanee whilst out on the Pride Park turf, winning just three of his duels in the midfield battle compared to Adams' impressive ten.
Moreover, the new Derby fan's favourite – who was described as a "maestro" by DerbyshireLive journalist Leigh Curtis after the 1-0 win – would end up winning five tackles to constantly give the Rams the ball back in the back-and-forth affair.
On the contrary, Smith would end up completing zero in return.
Adams would hog the limelight even further with the match-winner against Critchley's Blackpool, firing in first-time effortlessly after a Sibley cross wasn't dealt with to ensure the Rams still had the upper hand over their automatic promotion competitors with a win.
The below-par Derby number 12 wouldn't even muster up a single effort on the Tangerines net in contrast, with his spot now up for grabs for the trip to Pompey this evening.
He isn't the only underwhelming Rams performer who could find their spot taken up by a fresher body for the clash with Mousinho's men tonight, with Conor Washington way off the pace up top in the 1-0 win too.
Conor Washington's performance vs Blackpool in numbers
With Collins not at the races enough to be unleashed from the get-go, Washington was chosen to lead the line against Blackpool alongside Mendez-Laing.
It was a decision that didn't pay off for Warne, with the Northern Irish attacker lacklustre throughout and ultimately bailed out by Adams' crucial strike.
Washington would only register nine touches and make just three accurate passes before Warne gave in and replaced his misfiring centre-forward with Collins, a torrid afternoon in truth for the ex-Queens Park Rangers striker who never got going against the Tangerines.
Losing all five duels that came his way also, it wouldn't be a shock whatsoever to see that the 5 foot 10 forward is axed from the Derby lineup to face off against Pompey tonight especially if the league leaders are on their A-Game defensively.
Minutes played
70
Touches
9
Accurate passes
3/5 (60%)
Duels won
0/5
Shots
1
Possession lost
4x
If Washington and Smith put in these performances on the South Coast, Portsmouth wouldn't fear Warne's men in the slightest and would expect another three points to be forthcoming.
Whereas, if Warne made these changes, the Rams could stand more of a chance of upsetting the league leaders in their own backyard.
The players who could come in versus Portsmouth
The most logical changes would see Conor Hourihane and Collins come into the side, with this pair replacing the two underperformers against Blackpool from off the bench.
Hourihane will be seen as a reliable replacement with his reputation for getting Derby out of sticky situations with big strikes from the centre of the park making him a contender to start over Smith, seen in his late goal against Burton Albion earlier in the campaign to beat the Brewers 3-2.
Moreover, Collins will be trusted to come back in and strike fear into Pompey at the back with his goal tally for the season standing at 13 goals from 33 League One contests.
Derby will know they're in the driver's seat when it comes to their automatic promotion fate, but a win against Portsmouth tonight would undoubtably accelerate their chances of going back up to the Championship even more.
The Derby dud who now plays in a league 14 places below English football
Derby County supporters will have forgotten about this dire flop’s existence.
ByKelan SarsonMar 27, 2024
