“Not to be underestimated”: Derby County set for potential banana skin against Crewe Alexandra

Derby County’s next challenge comes in the form of League Two outfit Crewe Alexandra. The Rams will open their FA Cup campaign at the Mornflake Stadium in an attempt to earn a place in the second round.

The Rams come off the back of an impressive 4-0 home win against Northampton Town. Paul Warne and his team silenced the doubters, but will now be keen on adding to their win.

Last season in the FA Cup, Paul Warne’s side got the the fourth round where they lost at Pride Park to Premier League West Ham.

Not to be underestimated

On paper, the clash seems pretty comfortable for the Rams who sit seventh in League One. However, their opponents are having a great season under manager Lee Bell.

They sit fifth in League Two, just one point off the automatic promotion spots making them an opposition that are not to be underestimated.

Their success is down to their freescoring nature of football. Lee Bell’s side are not only the highest scoring team in League Two but they are the highest scoring team in the top four divisions of English football.

With 35 goals from 16 games, they will be sure to trouble Derby’s defence on a number of occasions. Their main threats include striker Chris Long (7 goals), Courtney Baker-Richardson (6 goals) and Mickey Demitriou (5 goals).

Paul Warne’s defenders will have to be on top form to keep them out of the goal on Sunday.

Pros and cons

So how can this team only be in fifth if they have scored that many goals?

Well Crewe have also conceded a lot of goals. They have let in 25 goals in 16 games compared to Derby’s 15 out of 15 games.

This means that whilst Paul Warne’s side may have trouble stopping Crewe, they should also be able to break them down making for what could be an interesting scoreline.

Predictions

Looking at the two teams, it seems difficult to believe that this will be anything but a high scoring game. The Rams come into the game with high spirits with two wins in three and Crewe also have two wins in three games.

So, two teams on form, an opponent that scores and concedes a lot of goals, this clash is set up to be entertaining.

The question is can Paul Warne’s Rams get a win and start to build some more consistent form ahead of their big league clash with Barnsley next week.

How to watch Derby County vs Crewe Alexandra

The game kicks off at 2.45pm on Sunday 5 November and will be broadcast on ITVX. Furthermore, with a Rams TV subsription, international viewers will be able to watch.

BBC Radio Derby will also provide audio commentary.