Match Preview - Derby County v Aston Villa

by Dek Hogan

Who are we playing?
Derby County on Saturday 20th August.

Where are we playing?
The iPro Stadium, Pride Park, Derby, DE24 8XL. (Legoland to you and me)

Can I go? Away end sold out. Increasingly difficult to get away tickets now without a) having a decent booking history and b) being quick enough off the mark.

Easy to get to?
Derby? A doddle.

Can I watch it on telly
Yep, Sky Sports, hence the annoying kick off time.

Big game?
HUGE.

Looks like being a right rollercoaster this Championship malarkey.

The bitter disappointment of conceding late against Huddersfield shouldn't mask the concern that an equaliser wasn't entirely unexpected. Villa certainly started where they had left off against Rotherham but quickly ran out of steam in the second half, just as the Terriers were revitalised by the arrival of one Nakhi Wells.

There is a bit of respite in the next few weeks in terms of the frequency of fixtures and we need to ensure that were are in peak condition for when the onslaught of midweek matches resumes.

McCormack seems to be settling in well and Rudy Gestede has seemed like a different player since Ross's arrival.

Doctor Tony hasn't got a magic wand but at least the new regime are making a fair fist of injecting some fresh blood into the squad.

Derby haven't had the best of starts as Pearson finds his feet but they'll be buoyed by a late winner at Preston North End and desperate to give their home support something to shout about.

Typical Derby fan

Expecting a classic blood and thunder encounter bringing back memories of ATV's Star Soccer.

Do Derby boast any famous fans?

Well there's Simon Groom off of Blue Peter and Tracy Shaw who was Maxine off of Corrie before she was killed off in a crazed serial killer plot. Not to mention Tim Brooke-Taylor off of The Goodies.

We've got fiddle playing scruffbox Nigel Kennedy off of the classical music.

So we win.

Who's playing for us?
Assuming he'll go pretty much unchanged if everyone is fit to go again.

Jedinak's signing clearly puts pressure on the midfielders for places.

Despite two fatal rickets in just three games, he'll likely keep faith with his young accident prone goalkeeper.

Who's playing for them?
Our old mate Darren Bent was dropped for the Preston game. Will Hughes is a danger man.

Any useless stats?

Of course, here you go:

• We last faced Derby County in the League at Pride Park in April 2008, mullering them 6-0. Ashley Young, John Carew, Stiliyan Petrov, Gareth Barry, Gabby Agbonlahor and Marlon Harewood all scored.

• We have 68 wins over them while they've beaten us on 43 occasions. There has been 23 draws.

• Our last match with Derby in the second tier of English football was way back in March 1969 and we lost 1-0 thanks to an own goal.

Prediction
A 3-3 draw.