A brilliant second half performance by Derby County saved them the blushes after a struggling Bristol City started the game with an absolute cracker of a goal. Further favourable results, up in the table, has still kept the Rams in contention for the playoff qualification spot and Steve McClaren will absolutely have to make sure they overcome the challenge of Cardiff City, who comes to the match at the back of a convincing 2-0 win over Leeds United.
Derby are coping with a hectic schedule at the moment that started with an FA Cup replay against Leicester City last midweek. McClaren’s men had a comfortable 2-0 win against Cardiff away from home when they met last time and the Rams remain the favourite in the fixture.
Predicted 4-3-3 Derby County Lineup Vs Cardiff City
Defence
Scott Carson is expected to start under the bar once again against Cardiff. The goalkeeper had a pathetic first half when Derby’s defense lacked both urgency and quality. Carson has kept 14 clean sheets in 29 appearances so far and the boss would stick to his best man between the sticks.
With only two days to spare between the fixtures, McClaren is expected to make slight changes at the back. Marcus Olsson is expected to continue to take his place on the left defensive flank as Max Lowe is too inexperienced to start under such pressure. Cyrus Christie is expected to start in the right-back position replacing Chris Baird.
The central defensive duo will be Alex Pearce alongside Jason Shackell. Richard Keogh has started two matches in the span of four days and the boss would like to rest his experienced feet for the weekend game. Shackell was unused from the bench on the weekend and will start afresh.
Midfield
The return of Will Hughes is a huge boost for McClaren’s midfield, who has a shortage of options with the other option, George Thorne, out with a broken leg. We expect Middlesbrough loanee Julien de Sart to start in the deep midfield.
The Belgian international was unused from the bench against Bristol City and is likely to hold the anchor role this time. Jacob Butterfield will start alongside Will Hughes in the playmaker’s role above de Sart.
Attack
It was Derby’s attack that saved the day for them on the weekend and McClaren will expect them to act a bit faster this time. Darren Bent remains irreplaceable after his brace helped Derby make the comeback.
Tom Ince isn’t expected to start this time. We expect Johnny Russell to start on the left flank this time with Ikechi Anya taking the other flank replacing Abdoul Camara.
