Derby County Preview

By Mark Heys
September 28 2007

The Premier League's bottom two clubs go head to head at Pride Park tommorow afternoon when bottom club Derby County face second from bottom Bolton Wanderers in a crucial match where a victory for either side would relieve the pressure.

The Wanderers only league victory of the campaign so far came against Reading at the end of August and their last match was a 2-1 win over Fulham in the Carling Cup so they will be hoping to maintain the momentum which has seen them go three games unbeaten in all competitions.

Derby on the other hand managed to pull off a shock victory against Newcastle United over a week ago with Scotland international Kenny Miller scoring the all important winning goal.

Whoever wins this game could move out of the bottom three dependant on how Fulham fare in their local derby against Chelsea on the same afternoon.

The performances of a number of Bolton players in the game at Craven Cottage in midweek has given manager Sammy Lee food for thought with Stelios Giannakopoulos, Daniel Braaten, Danny Guthrie and Gavin McCann all putting on a good showing.

It is likely that Lee will recall the likes of Jussi Jaaskelainen, Andy O'Brien, Gary Speed, Nicolas Anelka and El-Hadji Diouf to the Trotters squad.

Christian Wilhelmsson, Ivan Campo and Lubomir Michalilk will join Braaten in having a late fitness test should they be included in the team which travels to the Midlands.

Jlloyd Samuel, Blerim Dzemaili, Ricardo Vaz-Te and Heidar Helguson are all on the treatment table and will not play any part in the contest.

Derby boss Billy Davies has a doubt over experienced defender Darren Moore as the Jamaican international is troubled with a knee problem.

Hot prospect Giles Barnes is expected to once again be on the substitutes bench after making a return for the Rams last weekend against Arsenal.

Ex-Wanderers player Andy Todd is likely to play some part in the game but former Hull City striker Craig Fagan serves the second of a three game suspension.

LAST TIME WE MET:

16/03/2002 BOLTON WANDERERS 1 (Gardner) DERBY COUNTY 3 (Christie, Ravenelli, Higginbotham (Pen))

BOLTON: Jussi Jaaskelainen (sent off), Bruno N'Gotty, Gudni Bergsson (Nicky Southall), Mike Whitlow (Per Frandsen), Simon Charlton, Paul Warhurst, Stig Tofting (Fredi Bobic), Ricardo Gardner, Youri Djorkaeff, Rod Wallace, Michael Ricketts

SUBS NOT USED: Dean Holdsworth, Kevin Poole (GK)

DERBY: Andy Oakes, Warren Barton, Chris Riggott, Brian O'Neil, Danny Higginbotham, Luciano Zavagno, Georgi Kinkladze (Francois Grenet), Robert Lee, Paul Boertein, Malcolm Christie (Lee Morris), Fabrizio Ravenelli (Brako Strupar)

SUBS NOT USED: Simo Valakari, Patrick Foletti (GK)

PLAYED FOR BOTH:

Jeff Chandler, Simon Coleman, Khalilou Fadiga, John Gregory, Trevor Hebbard, Dean Holdsworth, Russell Hoult, Blessing Kaku, Francis Lee, John McGovern, Andy Oakes, Kevin Poole, Paul Ritchie, Peter Shilton, Emerson Thome, Andy Todd

DID YOU KNOW?

Former Derby County favourites Bruce Rioch, Roy McFarland and Colin Todd have all managed Bolton Wanderers over the last decade or so. In the case of McFarland and Todd they also had spells as manager of Derby.

Jussi Jaaskelainen was sent off the last time these two sides met so midfielder Nicky Southall had to go in goal for Bolton. Earlier that season Bo Hansen did likewise when a similar incident happened against Newcastle United.

Bolton have never won on their two previous league visits to Pride Park. The first visit in April 1998 ended 4-0 to the Rams and in December 2001 a Malcolm Christie goal seperated the two sides.

The Wanderers won at Pride Park in a League Cup tie in October 1999 when still a First Division club. Danish striker Mikkel Beck gave the Rams the lead before a stunner from Mark Fish and a late goal from Michael Johansen set Bolton en-route to the Semi Finals of the competition.

That particular game came just six days before Notts County boss Sam Allardyce was appointed as Colin Todd's successor as Bolton manager.