Derby County may see their Championship clash with relegation-threatened Wigan Athletic as an opportunity to get their faltering promotion campaign back on track with a victory at the DW Stadium.
The Rams have lost their winning touch and they face a Latics side who were beaten narrowly by table-topping Middlesbrough on Friday to remain in the bottom three, but still have hopes of escaping the drop.
Wigan Athletic
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Only 12 months ago, the Latics, then led by Uwe Rosler, were preparing for an FA Cup semi-final with Arsenal and were heading towards a playoff place, with a shot at promotion to the Premier League.
However, Wigan's fortunes have very much changed as they now lie 23rd in the Championship table, five points from safety.
A lack of goals from the 2013 FA Cup winners has been a particular cause for concern, having scored just 35 goals in 40 games. Only soon-to-be-relegated Blackpool have scored fewer. Striker Marc-Antoine Fortune has mustered just one goal in 29 appearances in a disappointing campaign.
Wigan have also been dogged by controversy regarding the appointment of the Malky Mackay, while still under investigation from the Football Association, and Dave Whelan's resignation as chairman of the club after he was suspended following racist comments made in a newspaper interview.
However, a combination of seven points from a possible 18 and Rotherham United falling to an eighth defeat in 11 games against Birmingham City on Good Friday suggests that Wigan could still survive in the Championship.
While Mackay has refused to give up hope of escaping the drop to League On, their home form will give them cause for concern, with only two wins to their name at the DW Stadium this term.
Recent form: WLWLDL
Derby County
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Derby looked to be contention for automatic promotion only a few weeks ago. However, a run of no wins in eight games has left the club facing the prospect of dropping out of the playoff places.
The Rams may consider themselves unlucky not to have taken better results in recent fixtures.
County were denied victory over in-form Watford by a late Odion Ighalo equaliser at the iPro Stadium on Friday, after a Darren Bent penalty and Tom Ince strike had given them a sniff of three points, and the Hornets needed two saves in the dying minutes from Heurelho Gomes to secure a draw.
Even in the 2-0 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux, which featured an own-goal that keeper Lee Grant will want to forget, Derby showed plenty of attacking threat, as they did in building a two-goal lead against Birmingham City last month before conceding twice in injury time.
Steve McClaren's side will want to return to winning ways as soon as possible as they only retain a place in the playoffs on goal difference from Ipswich Town and Wolves.
They may take solace from the fact that their last six fixtures of the season include five teams in the bottom half of the division, although they also face playoff rivals Brentford.
Recent form: LDDLLD
Team News
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Steve McClaren may opt to recall Jesse Lingard to the Rams starting lineup after benching the Manchester United loanee for the 2-2 draw with Watford.
Lingard could be paired with Bent in attack after the former Fulham frontman made a goalscoring return from injury against the Hornets. Bent might hope to make a positive impression in the final games of the campaign if he is to secure a permanent move away from parent club Aston Villa.
Raul Albentosa was benched for the visit of Watford and could be in line for start. Ryan Shotton and George Thorne, who began the game on Friday evening, could be the ones to make way.
Meanwhile, Mackay may look to reshuffle his attacking options after Martyn Waghorn and Fortune were benched for the trip to the Riverside Stadium last time out.
Should either forward be recalled to the starting XI, Josh Murphy might be the one to drop out, while James McLean is expected to continue in midfield for Wigan after returning from suspension against Boro.
Wigan possible starting lineup:
Al Habsi; Boyce, Maguire, Pearce, Bong; Pennant, Perch, Kim, McClean; Fortune, Clarke
Derby possible starting lineup:
Grant, Christie, Keogh, Albentosa, Forsyth, Hughes, Bryson, Ince, Russell, Lingard, Bent
Head To Head
Wigan have a good recent record against Derby, having won four of the last five meetings between the pair.
The Latics, who have won seven of the 14 fixtures with the Rams since they first met in the old Division Three in 1984, also emerged victorious at the iPro Stadium last October, thanks to a late brace from McLean.
However, County will have fond memories of their last trip to the DW Stadium, when first-half goals from Craig Bryson, Simon Dawkins and Chris Martin set the visitors on their way to a 3-1 triumph in December 2013.
We say: Wigan 0-1 Derby
Wigan may see this fixture against an out-of-sorts Derby as a chance to boost their survival hopes, but goals have been hard to come by for Mackay's men. Derby have scored twice as many as Athletic this season and the Rams' recent form could be attributed to bad luck as much as poor performances. Derby could sneak a narrow win.
Chris O'Keefe
