Struggling Derby County will look to claim their first Championship since the start of September when they play host to Bolton Wanderers on Friday.

The Rams are languishing in the relegation zone, while the Trotters are sitting in 16th spot in the Championship table. 

Match preview

After finishing in eighth spot last term, Derby came into this campaign with hopes of mounting a serious playoff bid in their third consecutive season in the second tier.

However, those aspirations have been quickly replaced by relegation fears after winning just one of their 14 league matches this season (D4, L9).

The Rams have drawn three and lost seven of their 10 matches since claiming their solitary victory in an away clash at Portsmouth on September 1, leaving them 

In fact, they have lost four of their last five games, including heavy defeats in their last two outings against Millwall and Norwich City.

After losing 4-1 away to the Lions, Derby conceded four more goals without reply in their midweek home clash against Norwich, extending their wait for their first home win of the season while leaving them with the second-worst defensive record in the division. 

With Derby also the joint-lowest scorers in the Championship, under-pressure John Eustace will be searching for inspiration ahead of the club's final outing before the international break, and he may find it in the fact the Rams have won each of their last six home games against Bolton.

Bolton, meanwhile, have established a seven-point gap to the drop zone in their first Championship campaign since 2018-19.

The Trotters will head into Friday's contest in a positive mood after ending a three-game winless run with a narrow 1-0 victory over Charlton Athletic on Tuesday, which came courtesy of Sam Dalby's sixth goal of the season.

That result made it back-to-back away clean sheets and extended their unbeaten run on the road to four matches (W3, D1).

That is a significant improvement on the early stages of the season, which saw them take just one point from their opening three road trips in the Championship.

However, they have not beaten Derby in their last 10 away encounters since claiming a 2-1 win in the EFL Cup in October 1999 (D3, L6).

In fact, Bolton, who have never won a league game at Pride Park, are looking to record their first head-to-head away win over Derby in the EFL since picking up a 2-1 victory at the Baseball Ground in September 1981. 

Derby County Championship form:

Bolton Wanderers Championship form:

Team News

Derby are continuing to deal with a considerable absentee list that features Eiran Cashin, Sondre Langas, Craig Forsyth, Derry Murkin and Charlie Taylor.

Matt Clarke and Patrick Agyemang have returned to full training, but it is unclear whether the important duo will be ready for Friday’s fixture.

There are also doubts surrounding the fitness of Joe Ward, Ryan Hedges, David Ozoh and Sammie Szmodics, the latter of whom was forced off in Tuesday’s defeat to Norwich. 

As for the visitors, Gavin Bazunu, Eoin Toal, Ethan Erhahon and Ryan Hardie are all unlikely to feature after missing the last two matches due to injury.

Schumacher is also expected to be without the attacking duo of John McAtee and Jayden Nelson due to knee and hamstring injuries respectively. 

There are also concerns over Josh Sheehan and Atsuki Ito, who both appeared to pick up injuries in Tuesday’s victory over Charlton.

Derby County possible starting lineup:

Widell Zetterstrom; Johnston, Nyambe, Sanderson, Robinson; Travis, Clark; Fuseini, Bilbija, Brewster; Morris

Bolton Wanderers possible starting lineup:

Bonham; Larrazabal, Forino-Joseph, Famewo; Conway; Simons, Watson; Iling-Junior, Rodrigues, Gale; Dalby

We say: Derby County 1-3 Bolton Wanderers

With Derby bereft of confidence, Friday's fixture represents a great opportunity for Bolton to end their 45-year wait for an away league win over the Rams.

We believe the Trotters will rise to the challenge, especially as they have enjoyed recent success on the road with three victories in their last four away games. 

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