Derby County vs Oxford United - prediction, team news, lineups

Hanging onto the coattails of the Championship playoff race, Derby County invited relegation-threatened Oxford United to Pride Park connected Saturday.

The Rams suffered a damaging loss astatine in-form Southampton past weekend, whilst the U's picked up a much-needed home occurrence implicit midtable dwellers Watford.

Match preview

Losing 5 of their past six matches connected the road, Derby County's mediocre distant signifier delivered different large stroke to their playoff hopes past Saturday, erstwhile goals from Leo Scienza and Taylor Harwood-Bellis sealed triumph for Southampton.

Opening the scoring for the visiting Rams astatine St Mary's Stadium past clip out, Carlton Morris has netted 2 goals successful arsenic galore matches since Easter Monday, with the erstwhile Luton Town leader looking to occurrence his squad to the Premier League for the archetypal clip since 2008.

Collecting conscionable 3 points from their past 3 second-tier matches, Derby are sitting successful eighth spot successful the Championship table up of Saturday's Midlands encounter, 5 points down sixth-placed Hull City.

In stark opposition to their troubles connected the road, John Eustace's troops person been exceptional successful beforehand of their ain supporters successful caller times, winning each of their past 5 Pride Park contests, conceding lone doubly successful the enjoyable process.

In fact, Derby person lone mislaid to Premier League Leeds United and promotion-chasing Ipswich Town successful their past 8 location fixtures, highlighting the enormity of the task which awaits the visitors connected Saturday.

Despite losing conscionable 1 of their past 8 second-tier contests (W4 D3), Oxford United stay firmly embroiled successful this season's Championship relegation battle, hopeless to widen their enactment astatine this level into a 3rd year.

The in-form U's made it 5 location matches unbeaten (W3 D2) astatine the Kassam Stadium past Saturday, erstwhile goals either broadside of the half-time whistle from Myles Peart-Harris and substitute Mark Harris secured a 2-0 triumph implicit Watford.

Defeated lone by FA Cup semi-finalists Southampton since the extremity of February, Oxford are the rising banal successful the Championship's scrap for survival, however, they stay 2 points from information with 4 matches near to play.

The U's person managed conscionable 2 distant victories since the travel to bottommost broadside Sheffield Wednesday connected October 25, with the astir caller occurrence connected the roadworthy coming astatine Deepdale against Preston North End successful aboriginal March.

After a fistful of clashes successful League One betwixt 2022 and 2023 betwixt the clubs, Oxford are unbeaten crossed their past 3 matches with Derby successful the Championship, including a 1-0 triumph implicit the Rams astatine the Kassam connected October 18.

Derby County Championship form:

L W W L W L

Oxford United Championship form:

W D L D D W

Team News

Derby suffered a large stroke implicit the Easter weekend, erstwhile Patrick Agyemang picked up a season-ending Achilles injury.

With the American marksman acceptable to miss the run-in and the World Cup, seasoned Morris is the main antheral successful onslaught for the playoff-chasing Rams.

Last featuring astatine The Hawthorns versus West Bromwich Albion connected January 23, goalkeeper Jacob Zetterstrom is inactive recovering from a muscular problem.

The hosts are sweating implicit the fittingness of some Bobby Clark and Derry Murkin up of this weekend's lucifer astatine Pride Park.

A standout performer for Oxford this play pursuing his summertime power from the Eredivisie, Brian De Keersmaecker is presently sidelined owed to a enarthrosis injury.

Part of Ipswich's double-promotion squad, Gregory Leigh is sitting successful the U's aesculapian country due to the fact that of a muscular issue.

Derby County imaginable starting lineup:

O'Donnell; Ward, Sanderson, Clarke, Johnston; Travis, Ozoh, Banel, Szmodics, Fraulo; Morris

Oxford United imaginable starting lineup:

Cumming; Long, Helik, Brown, Spencer; Konak, Brannagan, Mills, Donley, Peart-Harris; Harris

We say: Derby County 2-0 Oxford United

Quickly losing show of their playoff dreams, Derby simply indispensable widen their Pride Park winning tally to six matches connected Saturday.

Oxford are warring their ain conflict astatine the different extremity of the array but are surely beatable, particularly distant from the Kassam.

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