Seeking to maintain their perfect home record early in the 2024-25 season, newly-promoted Derby County will host Norwich City at Pride Park for a Championship match on Saturday afternoon.
The Rams have had a mixed start to their return to the second tier after their promotion from League One in May, while the Canaries are still bouncing back from playoff semi-final disappointment earlier this year.
Match preview
Following consecutive home wins against Bristol City and bottom-placed Cardiff City, Derby County’s momentum was interrupted by a defeat on the road, as they lost by a single goal to promotion favorites Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Saturday.
The Rams had significant opportunities to take the lead, with Kayden Jackson and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing both missing chances in the first half. However, they were unable to capitalize, and Sheffield United’s Gustavo Hamer scored a decisive free kick in the second half.
With three wins and three losses from their first six Championship matches, Derby currently sit 10th in the table with nine points, already five points clear of Sheffield Wednesday, who are in the lowest relegation spot.
Building on their impressive League One campaign in 2023-24, Derby have been exceptional at Pride Park this season, winning four consecutive matches across the Championship and EFL Cup, including victories over Middlesbrough, Bristol City, and Cardiff.
Despite reaching his 400th game in professional management at Bramall Lane last weekend, Paul Warne is under pressure to prove himself to a segment of Derby fans who question whether he is the right person to elevate the club to the next level.
After a series of three away matches that included an EFL Cup exit at Crystal Palace and a narrow defeat at Swansea City in the Championship, Norwich City returned to their East Anglian home last Saturday. There, they delivered an outstanding performance against Watford, a team chasing a top-six finish.
Manchester City loanee Callum Doyle scored his first goal for Norwich to open the scoring, but Watford’s Ryan Andrews equalized. However, further goals from Borja Sainz, Marcelino Nunez, and Ben Chrisene secured a decisive victory for the Canaries, putting the game beyond reach for Tom Cleverley’s side.
Norwich have struggled with consistency early in the season under new Danish coach Johannes Hoff Thorup, who took over from David Wagner after the club’s playoff defeat to Leeds United in May.
Having finished sixth in the Championship last season, Norwich will aim for at least a similar position this year. Currently, they are in 11th place, having collected eight points from their first six league matches.
Despite the recent fortunes of the two teams, Norwich have won only one of their last six encounters with Derby in the Championship. However, they did secure a victory in their most recent visit to Pride Park in April 2021, with Kieran Dowell scoring the only goal of the match.
**Derby County Championship form:**
L W L W W L
**Derby County form (all competitions):**
W L L W W L
**Norwich City Championship form:**
L D D W L W
**Norwich City form (all competitions):**
D D L W L W
Team News
Derby County are uncertain about the availability of left-back Callum Elder, who is a doubt for Saturday’s match after suffering a groin issue late in the game against Sheffield United last weekend.
The Rams will be without David Ozoh, the Crystal Palace loanee, who is expected to return after the October international break due to a hamstring strain.
Right-back Kane Wilson is also sidelined with a hamstring problem, while young defender Jake Rooney is set to miss most of the season due to a cruciate ligament injury.
Norwich City will be without the experience of Ashley Barnes, who is out with a leg injury, meaning Joshua Sargent will continue as the main attacking force for the visitors.
Christian Fassnacht is expected to be out until late October with an Achilles injury, and centre-back Jacob Sorensen is limited to observing due to a foot issue.
**Derby County possible starting lineup:**
Zetterstrom; Nyambe, Nelson, Cashin, Ward; Goudmijn, Osborn, Adams; Jackson, Mendez-Laing, Yates
**Norwich City possible starting lineup:**
Gunn; Fisher, Duffy, Doyle, Cordoba; Nunez, McLean, Schwartau, Crnac, Sainz; Sargent
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