Derby County face a tough test against Swansea City in their midweek fixture, and the Rams will have to be at their best to get a win.
Over the weekend, Derby County registered yet another 1-1 draw — the fifth time they’ve been involved in that scoreline since the start of October — with a share of the spoils away at Preston North End.
The result saw Paul Warne’s side climb one place in the Championship table, but the Derby County manager needs to see more from his players if they are to get back to winning ways against Swansea.
Their next opponents go into the game reeling after a last-minute defeat to Leeds United at the weekend in a 4-3 thriller and Swansea will be hungry to bounce back against the Rams.
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Swansea show they’ve got goals in them after Leeds United display
Scoring three goals against top of the table Leeds United is no mean feat. Only Portsmouth have achieved that feat in the league this season during a 3-3 draw back in August.
Swansea registered ten shots on goal during that game at the weekend, and had three big chances, converting all three. Suffice to say, that makes them a very dangerous proposition for Derby.
That is especially true when you consider the Rams have only scored three goals in one game this season, in the 3-0 win against Bristol City back at the end of August.
This is not to say that Swansea will come to Pride Park and score three again, but Swans boss Luke Williams has told Wales Online how “difficult” it was to accept that crushing blow against Leeds, and it’s clear they will travel to Derby ready to put things right.
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Derby County’s wastefulness could be punished by Swansea
Against Preston at the weekend, Derby created just one big chance and registered an xG of 0.56 over the 90 minutes from their five shots. Clearly, that is a far cry from the attacking play from Swansea, and it’s been a pattern all season for the Rams.
Leeds boss Daniel Farke has highlighted the Swansea high line as something teams can exploit, and Warne must pay attention to that weakness if his Derby side are to get anything from the game on Tuesday night.
| Statistic | Derby vs Preston North End |
|---|---|
| xG | 0.56 |
| Shots on goal | 5 |
| Shots on target | 1 |
| Big chances | 1 |
| Blocked shots | 2 |
Derby have been fairly wasteful all season, and really need to find a way to push on and find that all-important second goal in games where they are in the ascendency.
That kind of killer edge and prolificacy in the final third will be paramount to Derby’s season, and will ultimately be the difference between them securing midtable security, or facing a relegation battle come the end of the campaign.