Match Preview: Derby County v Sunderland - everything you need to know ahead of kick-off!

Yesterday at 01:00 AM

After the drama of last Friday we could do with a routine win tonight as the Lads travel to Pride Park - here's all you need to know ahead of kick-off!

Tuesday 21st January 2025

(19th) Derby County v Sunderland (4th)

Championship

Pride Park

Kick-Off: 19:45

Tickets & Match Coverage

Tickets: Tickets available here.

TV/Stream: Full live match coverage is available via Sky Sports+.

Radio: Full live match commentary available via BBC Radio Newcastle (not online)

Don't forget to follow the blow-by-blow account of the game on the Roker Report Twitter feed (@RokerReport) and check out the player ratings after the full-time whistle at www.RokerReport.com!

The build-up...

It's been just short of seven years since we last visited Pride Park and it's felt like longer. It was a strange night back in March 2018, during what was one of the worst seasons in the clubs history, we had a brief uplift in hope as we thumped promotion-chasing Derby 4-1. This time it's us chasing promotion and there's an expectation that we take maximum points.

But that is based primarily on league position and Derby's recent run of form, which we'll come on to, but our away record has been a mixed bag in recent months. Since the beginning of November, we've won one game on the road in eight attempts, but it's not quite as simple as that.

Those eight games included performances like the one at Stoke, where we stunk the place out and came away from nothing, and on the flip-side, we took one point from the two games against Sheffield United and Burnley where we deserved to take away more. Eight points in eight away games is something we could do with improving on if we're to push for the top two.

And Derby might just be the place to begin as we haven't lost at Pride Park in our last six meetings there. We have to back to February 2001 for our last defeat at Derby when a Craig Burley goal gave Jim Smith's Rams all three points against Reid's Sunderland.

After 14 successive years in the Championship, Derby County required a reset when the dropped down to League One in 2022-23. For most of those years in the second tier they were chasing promotion to the Premier League, where the finished 10th or higher in eight of those years, but after promotion last year they have different priorities.

Paul Warne joined from Rotherham United to return Derby to the Championship courtesy of finishing 2nd last season and after a promising start they are now beginning to look vulnerable. Since the end of November their form now sees them sitting three places but only one point above the bottom three.

They have lost ten of the last eleven and are currently on a four game losing streak, but it's their home form that is keeping their head above water. Having lost their last two against Watford and Leeds United, they did however win the two before that against WBA and Portsmouth, but it does feel like a good time to take them on.

The betting...

The bookies fancy the Lads to claim all three points tonight with odds of 6/5, with a home win priced at 12/5 and the draw is around 9/4.

Head to head... at Pride Park

(All competitions)

• Sunderland wins: 16
• Draws: 18
• Derby County wins: 35
• Sunderland goals: 89
• Derby County goals: 140

Last time we met... at Pride Park

Friday 30th March, 2018

Championship

Derby County 1-4 Sunderland

[Vydra 42' - Honeyman 10', Fletcher 36', McGeady (pen) 50', O'Shea 76']

Sunderland: Camp, Love, O'Shea, Kone, Oviedo (Matthews), Gooch (Maja), Cattermole, McNair (Wilson), Honeyman, McGeady, Fletcher Substitutes not used: Steele, Robson, McManaman, Lua Lua

Derby County: Carson, Baird, Forsyth, Thorne (Nugent), Keogh, Davies, Weimann, Johnson, Jerome (Ledley), Vydra, Lawrence (Palmer) Substitutes not used: Roos, Wisdom, Pearce, Thomas

Attendance: 27,890

Played for both...

Mick Harford

A distinguished twenty-one year career for the Sunderland-born Harford started at Lincoln City before making a £180,000 transfer to Newcastle United in 1980. A disappointing year on Tyneside led to brief stints at Bristol City and Birmingham City before ending up at Luton Town in 1984.

Harford would spend six successful years at Kenilworth Road, which led to two international caps for England. A £450,000 move to the east midlands to join Derby County came in 1990, but this would only last a year until he was on the move again, this time returning to Luton Town despite interest from Manchester United.

Harford then joined Chelsea for the opening season of the new Premier League following Luton's relegation from the top flight for a fee of £300,000, but despite being top scorer for Chelsea, Terry Butcher would take Harford to Sunderland for £250,000 in March 1993.

Harford would only manage two goals in eleven appearances during his time at Roker and his last move would be to Wimbledon via Coventry City in 1994 making 60 appearances there before retiring in 1998.

Since retiring from the playing side, Harford has held many positions at various clubs including Director of Football, Coach and Manager.