Preview: Derby County vs Stoke City - prediction, team news, lineups

Derby County will be desperate to end a six-game winless run when they welcome Stoke City to Pride Park for Saturday's Championship encounter.

The Rams are languishing in 23rd spot in the Championship table, while the Potters start the weekend in eighth position.

Match preview

Derby boss John Eustace is under mounting pressure after seeing his side win just one of their first 10 Championship games this season (D3, L6).

In fact, the Rams have lost four of their previous six games, including a heavy away defeat in Wednesday's clash with Queens Park Rangers.

Derby conceded three goals in a forgettable first half as they slumped to a 4-1 loss at Loftus Road, leaving them in the relegation zone and two points adrift of safety.

Eustace needs to resolve issues at both ends of the pitch, with his team heading into the weekend as the league's third-lowest scorers (9) and with the joint third-worst defensive record (19).

They are also one of three teams yet to win a Championship home game this season (D2, L3), a wait they will look to end at the sixth time of asking in Saturday's fixture against Stoke.

The hosts can at least draw some inspiration from the fact they have won three of their last five home meetings with the Potters, including a 2-0 triumph in their most recent meeting in April.

Stoke, meanwhile, are sitting just inside the top eight after recording five wins, one draw and four defeats in their first 10 matches.

Mark Robins's side dropped just two points in six matches before Tuesday's 3-2 defeat to Middlesbrough at the bet365 Stadium brought an end to their fine run of form.

Stoke showed great character to come from behind on two separate occasions, but they ultimately had no answer to Neto Borges's 91st-minute winner.

The Potters will now head on their travels with hopes of recording a third consecutive road win after beating Watford and Bolton Wanderers 2-1 in their last two away games.

That will be easier said than done for a club that have failed to win any of their last six away league games against Derby while failing to score in five of those contests.

That said, they are one of five teams that have scored in all 10 of their Championship outings this season, along with Burnley, Middlesbrough, Southampton and West Ham United.

Derby County Championship form:

Stoke City Championship form:

Team News

Derby defender Sondre Langas has been ruled out for the rest of 2026 with a groin injury he sustained in the early stages of Wednesday's defeat to QPR.

Langas adds to Derby's defensive injury woes, with Eustace already without Matt Clarke, Eiran Cashin, Max Johnston, Derry Murkin and Charlie Taylor.

Goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterstrom and forward Patrick Agyemang remain sidelined due to knee and Achilles injuries respectively.

As for Stoke, Robins revealed earlier this week that Ato Ampah will be out for a significant period after undergoing knee surgery, representing the 20-year-old's second major injury setback since joining the club in February.

The Potters are also without the injured trio of Aaron Cresswell, Svante Ingelsson and Sam Gallagher.

Maksym Talovierov is expected to return to the Stoke backline after serving a one-match ban in midweek.

Derby County possible starting lineup:

Vickers; Ward, Nyambe, Sanderson, Hedges; Travis, Mowatt; Fuseini, Clark, Szmodics; Morris

Stoke City possible starting lineup:

Johansson; Wilmot, Talovierov, Graham; Johnson, Galbraith, Bocat; McGlynn, Devenny, Cisse

We say: Derby County 1-1 Stoke City

Derby may be low on confidence following a poor start to the season, but they can lean on their positive home record against Stoke, and with that in mind we think they will do enough to take a point from Saturday's fixture.

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