Former captain Curtis Davies has predicted whether Derby County will win promotion from League One this season.
Derby County are in a strong position to win promotion back to the Championship at the second time of asking.
Despite struggling at the start of this campaign, an exceptional run has seen Paul Warne drag the Rams towards the brink of glory.
Derby moved a step closer to achieving that goal on Tuesday night by snatching a point from promotion rivals Portsmouth.
This result, thanks to a Joe Ward brace, dragged Warne’s men four points clear of third-place Bolton Wanderers, though they have played a game more than Ian Evatt’s side.
It promises to be a fascinating and intense finish to a brilliant League One campaign, and while it seems impossible to predict the outcome, Curtis Davies has supplied his verdict.
Curtis Davies predicts whether Derby County will win promotion
A current centre-back for Cheltenham Town, Davies played more for Derby than any other club.
During his six years at Pride Park, the 39-year-old amassed 175 appearances after joining from Hull City in 2017.
Davies was a great servant to the club, especially during difficult times, with the ex-Derby captain now offering his prediction in the League One promotion race.
With the veteran defender nearing the end of his career, Davies has dipped into punditry and is a regular feature on Sky Sports EFL coverage.
Following Derby’s 2-2 draw against Portsmouth on Tuesday, he was asked whether he thinks his former side will get promoted. He shared a response that Rams supporters will want to hear as he believes the remaining fixtures play right into their hands.
“I really hope so [that Derby get promoted],” Davies said. “I’m looking at their fixtures, other than Richie’s team, have to give Richie and my old team Leyton Orient a shout.
“But they’ve got winnable fixtures that you hope would see them over the line. Particularly when Barnsley and Bolton both need to play Pompey as well. One of them is gonna have to drop points.
“So I think Derby will fancy themselves and I’m very hopeful they’re gonna get over the line.”
Derby County’s remaining fixtures
In Derby’s remaining four matches, only one of their opponents is currently occupying a top-half spot, with the rest either safely in mid-table or battling for relegation.
Warne’s men don’t have a game this weekend but travel to 13th-place Wycombe Wanderers next weekend. Gareth Ainsworth’s side don’t have anything to play for, other than pride, so that could play right into their hands.
Derby then host 10th-place Leyton Orient, who also have nothing to play for with nine points separating them from the top six.
After that, it’s a trip to Cambridge United, currently six points above the relegation zone before hosting bottom-of-the-table Carlisle United in their final game.
On paper, as Davies said, you fancy Derby to clinch promotion from here. However, getting over the line is always the hardest part and the Rams must guard against complacency to return to the second tier.