Derby County and Sheffield United Prepare for Championship Clash

Derby County‘s head coach, Paul Warne, is set to lead his team for the 400th time in club management as they prepare to face Sheffield United in a Sky Bet Championship encounter. The match is scheduled to take place at Bramall Lane, with kick-off at 3:00 PM. Both teams are entering the match with optimistic outlooks.

The Rams, coming off a promising start, have won three of their opening five league games. They will be supported by a sold-out crowd in the away section. Their opponents, Sheffield United, remain unbeaten in the ongoing 2024/25 campaign. The Blades recently secured a 2-0 victory over Hull City in their last fixture.

In a key decision, Paul Warne has decided to make a single change from the team that triumphed over Cardiff City last week. Ben Osborn will replace David Ozoh, who is sidelined due to a hamstring injury incurred during the game against Cardiff. Osborn is returning to Bramall Lane, a familiar ground where he made 115 appearances for Sheffield United before his transfer to Derby County this summer.

Adding to Derby County’s squad depth, Corey Blackett-Taylor returns to the bench after recovering from a quad injury that kept him away during the pre-season. He showed fitness by completing a full 90 minutes for the Rams’ Under-21 team against AFC Bournemouth last Friday. However, the team will miss Jake Rooney, Tom Barkhuizen, and Liam Thompson again due to their injuries.

The line-up for Derby County is as follows: Zetterström, Nyambe, Nelson, Cashin, Elder, Osborn, Goudmijn, Adams, Jackson, Yates, and Mendez-Laing (C). The substitutes include Vickers, Forsyth, Bradley, Collins, Phillips, Harness, Ward, Blackett-Taylor, and Brown.

Lining up for Sheffield United will be Cooper, Gilchrist, Souttar, Ahmedhodžić, Burrows, Souza (C), Hamer, O’Hare, Rak-Sakyi, Peck, and Moore. Their bench includes Davies, McCallum, Brewster, Shackleton, Campbell, Norrington-Davies, Marsh, Brooks, and Seriki.

The match holds significant league implications, with Derby County currently sitting 10th in the table. They share nine points with teams like Oxford United, but sit behind on goal difference. A positive result at Bramall Lane could see them climb the championship standings.