Derby County and West Bromwich Albion will have an encounter at Pride Park on Tuesday, with a place in the third round of the EFL Cup at stake for both sides.
The hosts recorded a 2-1 victory over Mansfield Town in the first round of the competition, while West Brom secured the place in round two through a 1-0 win over Sheffield United at The Hawthorns.
Now competing in the third division of English football following their relegation from the Championship last season, Derby County have made a positive start to their 2022-23 league campaign, collecting eight points from five matches, which has left them in eighth place in the standings.
Liam Rosenior’s side began their League One season with a 1-0 victory over Oxford United before losing at Charlton Athletic, but they are unbeaten in their last three, defeating Barnsley on August 13 before drawing their last two against Shrewsbury Town and Fleetwood Town.
The Rams will be expected to make a strong challenge for an immediate return to the Championship, and they are preparing for the first of four home games on the bounce in three separate competitions.
Meanwhile, West Brom claimed a 1-0 victory over Sheffield United in the first round of this season’s EFL Cup, with Karlan Grant scoring the only goal off the bench.
The Baggies drew their opening two matches of the 2022-23 Championship campaign against Middlesbrough and Watford before losing 2-1 to Blackburn Rovers on August 14.
Steve Bruce’s side then played out a goalless draw with Cardiff City three days later, but they claimed their first league victory of the season on Saturday, beating Hull City 5-2.
That result has left West Brom in 14th place, only two points off the top six at this stage and will be expected to challenge for the playoffs this season.
Derby County vs West Bromwich Albion head to head
The two teams have previously met on 73 occasions across all competitions, where Derby have claimed 28 victories while West Brom have won 26, and they have drawn in 19. Derby have scored 108 goals and conceded 104. In their last five meetings, Derby have won two, West Brom one with two draws.
Derby County 3-1 West Bromwich Albion 05/05/22
Derby County 1-1 West Bromwich Albion 24/08/19
West Bromwich Albion 2-0 Derby County 08/07/20
West Bromwich Albion 0-0 Derby County 14/09/21
Derby County 1-0 West Bromwich Albion 27/12/21
Derby County latest home form
Derby County have recently been on a relatively good run of form at home, having lost just one of their four most recent matches. They defeated Barnsley 2-1 in their last home game in the league. In their last five matches, they have scored five goals and also conceded five.
Derby County 0-1 Cardiff City 07/05/22
Derby County 1-0 Hertha Berlin 16/07/22
Derby County 1-3 Leicester City 23/07/22
Derby County 1-0 Oxford United 30/07/22
Derby County 2-1 Barnsley 13/08/22
Derby County latest away form
Derby County have recent failed to keep a good run of form on the road, having won just one of their six most recent matches. They drew 0-0 with Fleetwood Town in their last away game in the league. In their last five matches, they have scored three goals and conceded four.
Alfreton Town 2-1 Derby County 26/07/22
Charlton Athletic 1-0 Derby County 06/08/22
Mansfield Town 1-2 Derby County 09/08/22
Shrewsbury Town 0-0 Derby County 16/08/22
Fleetwood Town 0-0 Derby County 20/08/22
West Bromwich Albion latest home form
West Brom have recently been on a good run of form at home, having been unbeaten in their eight most recent matches. They managed to defeat Hull City 5-2 in their last home game in the league. In their last five matches, they have scored nine goals and conceded five.
West Bromwich Albion 2-1 Hertha Berlin 23/07/22
West Bromwich Albion 1-1 Watford 08/08/22
West Bromwich Albion 1-0 Sheffield United 11/08/22
West Bromwich Albion 0-0 Cardiff City 17/08/22
West Bromwich Albion 5-2 Hull City 20/08/22
West Bromwich Albion latest away form
West Brom lost 2-1 to Blackburn Rovers in their last away game in the league. However, they have recently been on a good run of form on the road, having been unbeaten in their previous four matches. In their last five matches, they have scored nine goals and conceded four.
Northampton 0-3 West Bromwich Albion 13/07/22
Crewe Alexandra 1-1 West Bromwich Albion 16/07/22
Oxford United 0-3 West Bromwich Albion 19/07/22
Middlesbrough 1-1 West Bromwich Albion 30/07/22
Blackburn 2-1 West Bromwich Albion 14/08/22
Derby County news
Rosenior selected a relatively strong side in the first round of the competition against Mansfield, with Lewis Dobbin expected to feature here.
Jake Rooney, Korey Smith, Liam Thompson and Louie Sibley are likely to be among those given opportunities to impress, while Craig Forsyth is expected to continue at left-back.
West Bromwich Albion news
West Brom will again be without Daryl Dike due to a thigh issue, but Jake Livermore, Reyes Cleary and Adam Reach should come into the starting lineup.
Head coach Bruce is expected to give starting roles to Taylor Gardner-Hickman, Callum Robinson and Matt Phillips, while Alex Palmer could start between the sticks.
Prediction and Odds
Both managers are expected to make changes from their respective league matches at the weekend, but there will still be plenty of quality on display from both sides.
Derby are certainly capable of matching West Brom, but we believe the visitors will have enough to come away with all the three points.
Odds: 1 2.30 X 2.05 2 2.20
Probable outcomes
Derby County 0-1 West Bromwich Albion
Derby County 0-2 West Bromwich Albion
Derby County 1-2 West Bromwich Albion
Derby County 2-3 West Bromwich Albion
Derby County 1-1 West Bromwich Albion
