Crystal Palace vs. Derby County

If you were to choose an ideal fixture to provide The Rams with the perfect opportunity to bounce back from three consecutive defeats, away at one of our bogey teams Crystal Palace would probably not be one of them. Having said that, Neil Warnock`s Palace side are two points behind Nigel Clough`s men, with five points from their opening six league games, so they are not enjoying great league form themselves. The Rams have only picked up one point on their travels so far this season, but The Eagles have no won a game at Selhurst Park yet, and only have one home point to show for their efforts. Perhaps this is the best time to play them, but as it is so often said in the Championship, there are no easy games.

Nigel Clough came away from Pride Park frustrated, having been convinced his side deserved to take all three points against Barnsley, but he is pleased with new loan signing James Vaughan from Everton: 'James is in good condition and looks sharp, so we will have no problems including him in the squad tomorrow. We have signed him because we believe he improves our team and therefore we expect him to have an impact," speaking to the official club website, Clough also said of the striker, "It's clear, even from the little time we have spent with him this morning, that he wants to play matches; he's got a terrific attitude and hunger and that is exactly what we are looking for.'

Crystal Palace are not going to be able to field ex-Ram, Claude Davis, as he battles with a hamstring injury. The Derby flop moved to London in the summer. Their on loan West Ham forward, Freddie Sears, is likely to miss out with an ankle injury. Paddy McCarthy (scorer of a wonder-goal at Pride Park last season) will feature having missed the 0-4 home defeat to Scunthorpe through suspension. Fellow defender, Matt Lawrence, will not feature having been placed on the transfer list.

Argentine keeper, Speroni, has won the Palace player of the season award for the last two campaigns, highlighting his importance to the team.

Jake Buxton and Paul Green are the latest on the injury list as they suffer from a hernia and a foot injury respectively. The pair are expected to be out for weeks. Strikers Steven Davies, Giles Barnes and Chris Porter will be out, and Rob Hulse hopes to be rid of a bug. Striker James Vaughan is expected to play a part at some point in the game.

Big Miles will need to have a solid game to keep Alan Lee quiet, although his central defensive partner, Barker, will need to be equally vigilant.

Last 5: Derby County

Barnsley (h) 2-3

Sheffield United (h) 0-1

Nottingham Forest (a) 2-3

Plymouth Argyle (h) 2-1

Blackpool (a) 0-0



Last 5: Crystal Palace

Scunthorpe United (h) 0-4

Peterborough United (a) 1-1

Manchester City (h) 0-2

Newcastle United (h) 0-2

Ipswich Town (a) 3-1

Derby County vs. Bristol City, Saturday 26 September 2009 15:00, The Coco-Cola Football League Championship

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