Derby County will hope to secure their Championship survival this weekend when they travel to Swansea City on Saturday afternoon with kickoff at 5 pm.
The Rams are currently 23rd in the table and nine points adrift of safety (meaning they face possible relegation), while the Swans have very little to play for at this point in the season and sit 14th.
Last weekend, Ravel Morrison headed in a late winner as Derby beat Preston. It was their first win in four matches and moved the Rams to within six points of safety.
Reading’s win over Stoke in midweek has cut the gap to Wayne Rooney’s side even further, and they now have just six games left to play, including a clash against league leaders Fulham on Good Friday after their trip to South Wales.
There has been light at the end of the tunnel behind the scenes this week as US businessman Chris Kirchner has been selected as the preferred bidder to buy the club. After months of uncertainty, Rooney will hope for a boost on the pitch next week.
Swansea City may be stuck in mid-table, but they are looking to finish the season on a high and have won 10 of their last 12 games. They beat Cardiff 4-0 last week before earning a hard-fought 1-0 away win at Millwall on Tuesday.
Swansea City vs. Derby County Head to Head
Both sides have 13 games against each other, with hosts taking three wins while visitors with four wins. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Millwall 0-1 Swansea City
- Cardiff City 0-4 Swansea
- Swansea 0-0 Birmingham City
- Peterborough 2-3 Swansea
- Blackpool 1-0 Swansea
Away
- Derby County 1-0 Preston North End
- Derby County 1-1 Coventry
- Blackburn 3-1 Derby County
- Bournemouth 2-0 Derby County
- Derby County 2-0 Barnsley
Swansea City Team News
Flynn Downes was left out of the Swansea squad against Millwall in midweek but is expected to be available for selection again. Joel Pirone scored his 18th goal on Tuesday night, double the tally of the next highest scorers in the squad: Jamie Paterson and Michael Obafemi.
Derby County Team News
After returning from international duty, Ravel Morrison and Krystian Bielik could only make the bench against the Lilywhites, but I hope to see them start this weekend.
Prediction and Odds
Just as much of the season is at stake for Derby County, but we cannot overlook Derby’s dreadful record away from home.
- Swansea Win
- Goals Over 2.5
- No Score: Away
