Derby County vs Rotherham United preview: How to watch, kick-off time, team news, predicted lineups and ones to watch

Derby County will welcome Rotherham United to Pride Park on Saturday.

Derby County vs Rotherham United preview: How to watch, kick-off time, team news, predicted lineups and ones to watch
(Photo by Andrew Kearns - CameraSport via Getty Images)
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By Louie Barrett

Derby County will be looking to get back to winning ways in the SkyBet Championship after falling to a 1-0 away defeat at Sheffield Wednesday last time out in the league.

They take on strugglers, Rotherham United, who have won just one of their last nine league games. 

Originally, the fixture was due to be played back in December, but after an outbreak of COVID-19 in the Rotherham squad, the game was postponed.

• Team news

Derby County's interim manager, Wayne Rooney, will be hopeful of a Tom Lawrence return after he has missed the last four matches with an ankle injury.

Forward Martyn Waghorn is eligible for a return, after he served a three-match ban for a red card received against Preston North End in December.

35-year-old Curtis Davies is still sidelined and is set to miss the rest of the season after rupturing his Achilles tendon. 

Aside from that, Rooney has a fully fit squad to choose from for Saturdays clash.

Rotherham have been riddled with injuries this season and will be without Shaun MacDonald, Matt Crooks, Kieran Sadlier, Joe Mattock, Chiedozie Ogbene, and Angus MacDonald, who are all recovering from injuries. 

Some good news for Millers boss Paul Warne, is that striker Freddie Ladapo looks set for a return after a slight groin problem. 

• Predicted lineups

Derby County:

Marshall, Buchanan, Clarke, Wisdom, Byrne, Knight, Bielik, Shinnie, Jozwiak, Kazim-Richards, Waghorn.

Rotherham United:

Blackman, Harding, Jones, Wood, Ihiekwe, Olosunde, Wiles, Barlaser, Lindsay, Clarke, Ladapo.

• Ones to watch

Colin Kazim-RIchards is the Rams' top scorer this season with three goals. Whilst his return does not sound spectacular on paper, his experience and quality of being able to hold the ball up effectively brings others into play and is a crucial part to the way Derby attack.

19-year-old Jason Knight is a breath of fresh air in the Derby midfield, his determination and grit helps him pick up some great attacking positions. 

Knight has started 21 of Derby's 22 league games this season and whilst he has only picked up two goals, he is certainly an integral part of the Rams midfield.

Krystian Bielik adds a real bit of quality to Rooney's midfield. His composure and energy help him break up the play excellently and his 84% passing accuracy this season proves how important his passing quality is in the middle of the pitch for the Rams.

As for Rotherham, their record signing, Ladapo, has four goals to his name this season and his ruthlessness in front of goal is one for the Derby backline to keep an eye on. 

Wing-back, Matthew Olosunde, attacks with great purpose. His direct running and silky dribbling means he often finds himself in great positions in the final third. He is another one Derby need to keep close tabs on. 

Englishman, Daniel Barlaser, has been one of the Millers most consistent performers this campaign, picking up three goals and two assists in 14 appearances. He'll, no doubt, be looking to add to his tally in what is a very important game at the rear of the table.

• Previous meetings

In the last eight meetings between the two sides, Derby have won four, Rotherham have won one and there have been three draws. 

The latest fixture between the two sides came back in March 2019, where Derby ran out as emphatic winners, putting six past the Millers in a game that ended 6-1.

The last time Rotherham beat the Rams was in September 2018. A Ryan Manning penalty was enough to seal a win for the Millers. In the same game, Derby winger, Lawrence, was shown a straight red card.

In three of the last eight meetings, six or more goals have been scored.

Last time out:

• Where to watch

The game kicks off at 15:00 BST on Saturday 16 January 2020. 

Derby fans can watch the game by purchasing a live video streaming pass which can be found in the RamsTV section of their website. 

Millers fans can tune in to the game through purchasing a live video match pass, found on the iFollow section of Rotherham United's website for a price of £10.