EFL Championship | Gameweek 41

Apr 8, 2025 at 7.45pm UK

Pride Park Stadium

Derby vs Burnley

Match preview

After four straight wins in the Championship, Derby County were brought back down to earth on Saturday afternoon as their visitors to South Wales suffered a disappointing defeat, with Ji-Sung Eom coming off the bench to score the winner for Swansea City in the second tier.

However, new boss John Eustace has enjoyed a successful spell in charge of the East Midlands outfit following his controversial mid-season move from league rivals Blackburn Rovers, with the former player winning four of his first eight games in charge.

As a result, Tuesday night's hosts have recently climbed out of the relegation zone ahead of this week's clash with a promotion contender, with Derby currently sitting 21st in the Championship table, ahead of Cardiff City in 22nd on goal difference.

Despite the Clarets' quality, the Rams should be relatively confident of picking up a positive result at their home ground, as they are in the midst of a three-match winning streak at Pride Park, having beaten Blackburn, Coventry City and Preston North End by a combined score of 6-1.

Since Eustace's arrival, Swansea loanee Jerry Yates has regained his goalscoring form and now leads the race for Derby's Golden Boot with eight second-tier strikes, although the former Blackpool man was unable to feature against his parent club at the weekend.

Burnley, who last tasted defeat in the second tier in early November, extended their unbeaten league run to a staggering 27 games on Saturday afternoon as play-off hopefuls Coventry looked set to become only the third side to beat the Clarets in the Championship this season.

The Sky Blues got off to a lightning start in the East Midlands, with prolific marksman Haji Wright firing the hosts ahead inside the opening five minutes, but it was Scott Parker's men who had the last laugh, with a brilliant double from Jaidon Anthony sealing maximum points.

Having won back-to-back games since returning from the international break - and capitalising on the slip-ups of their promotion rivals - Burnley have climbed to the top of the Championship table, two points clear of third-placed Leeds United, with six games remaining.

As their comeback success at Coventry at the weekend demonstrated, the Clarets have been highly efficient on their second-tier travels, with Tuesday night's visitors to Pride Park having collected a staggering 42 points from 20 league games, more than any other side in the division.

While Burnley have consistently broken defensive records this term, there were concerns that Parker's men lacked the attacking threat to challenge the top two, but recent performances and the winter arrival of Marcus Edwards from Sporting Lisbon have allayed those fears.

Recent Performance

Derby County Championship form:LWWWWL

Burnley Championship form:WWDWWW

Team News

Derby suffered an early blow in their win over Preston on Wednesday when veteran full-back Ryan Nyambe suffered a season-ending hamstring injury.

The Rams will also be without the services of midfielder David Ozoh, who is expected to return from a thigh problem sustained in March.

The usual absentees remain for Premier League outfit Burnley, with both Mike Tresor and Jordan Beyer yet to make an appearance in the Championship this season.

Clarets boss Parker may be tempted to make a change on Tuesday night, with Zian Flemming, Hannibal Mejbri and Jeremy Sarmiento all likely to feature.

Possible starting lineup

Derby County possible starting lineup:

Zetterstrom; Phillips, Clarke, Langas; Wilson, Adams, Armstrong, Thompson, Forsyth; Jackson, Harness

Burnley possible starting lineup:

Trafford; Roberts, Egan-Riley, Esteve, Pires; Edwards, Cullen, Laurent, Anthony; Brownhill, Flemming