"Unbeaten in four": Derby County prepare for in form Bristol Rovers

Derby County face a tough test this weekend as they welcome Bristol Rovers to Pride Park.

The Rams have won their past two league games and are aiming to climb into the playoff spots with a win.

Bristol Rovers, currently under caretaker manager Andy Managan, are four points behind the Rams and unbeaten in four games.

Manager change

Derby's opponents have been going through a manager change and still are. Andy Managan has taken over as caretaker manager after they sacked Joey Barton last month.

It seems as though the new manager bounce is real as they have climbed from 16th to 10th since they sacked Barton. It is unclear yet whether Managan will take over permanently but so far he has proven himself well.

It's been over a month since Rovers lost in all competitions and as their recent form suggests, they should be tough to beat.

Point of attack

Despite their upturn in form, Rovers haven't scored more than one goal in one out of their past six league games. The Rams' point of attack could simply be based on trying to play with an attacking nature with the hope that Rovers fail to score that crucial second goal again.

Derby's last two league games have provided them with seven goals. Paul Warne's side are very capable of simply outscoring their opponents on Saturday.

On Bristol Rovers' side of the ball, perhaps their biggest threat is attacking midfielder Luke Thomas who spent three early years in his career at Derby County.

Thomas has two goals and two assists so far this season, he is their focal point going forward as the majority of Rovers' attacks flow through the 24 year-old.

Last time out

The last time Derby faced Bristol Rovers was in a frustrating afternoon for the Rams which ended in a 1-1 draw, proving to be two crucial points dropped in Derby's chase for a playoff place.

Before that, it was a much better showing. A first-half hat trick from David McGoldrick in October 2022 led the Rams to a 4-2 victory in one of the more memorable games of last season.

Paul Warne will be hoping to recreate this result on Saturday.

Predictions

On paper, it should be a relativley close affair on Saturday as both teams come into the game in fairly good form.

The Rams should be able to outscore their rivals however, so a tight 2-1 win or something similar could be on the cards.

The game will be available to international viewers on Rams TV from 2.30pm, BBC Radio Derby will also provide audio commentary which will be live from 2pm. Kick off at 3pm at Pride Park Stadium on Saturday 25 November.