Derby County make their return to Championship action this weekend when they make the trip to the capital, taking on Millwall at The Den.
The Rams have enjoyed a decent start to life back in the second tier, picking up four wins from their opening nine games.
While that has been largely positive for Paul Warne, the main concern so far may surround the fact that all of those victories have come at Pride Park.
With not a single point picked up on the road. the Derby boss will be keen to open the account on their travels against Millwall.
One key area is likely to dictate this encounter and it’s one that both teams will be keen to exploit.
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Derby County and Millwall set-piece attacking stats
If there is one thing that could decide a game for Derby under Warne, it’s set-pieces.
The Rams are among the most proficient at using corners and free kicks to their advantage, often winning games by those fine margins.
Already this season, the side have scored seven set-piece goals in nine matches, which is almost double the teams right behind them.
Those sides are Middlesbrough, Hull and… Millwall, all on four goals.
The Lions may feel a little aggrieved that they don’t have more set-piece goals in their favour, with OptaAnalyst claiming they have racked up an xG [Expected Goals] value of 5.94.
Neil Harris’s side have the most shots from set-pieces as well, taking 61, which may explain some of their high statistics.
It suggests that both teams will be dangerous from those specific moments, upon which the game could be decided.
Derby County and Millwall defensive set-piece stats
While it has been a tale of two teams with differing fortunes in front of goal with attacking set-pieces, a similar story can be said of the defensive stats too.
According to OptaAnalyst, Derby have conceded just one goal from 2.03xG against them from a corner or free-kick opportunity.
Compare that to Millwall, who may feel hard done by to have conceded four goals to just 1.78xG conceded.
What the Derby set-piece stats mean
So, in conclusion, while both teams are showing up well in the underlying numbers for set-pieces, Derby are overperforming their stats while Millwall are underperforming theirs.
It suggests that there is either an inherent weakness in the defence for the Lions along with an inherent strength for the Rams or that both teams will regress back to the mean at some point soon.
Either way, it’s an area of the game that is increasingly important and something Warne will be relying upon to ensure survival in the Championship is secured.
A point or three at The Den on Saturday would go a long way to doing just that.