Bristol City v Derby County: Is it on TV, how to watch, injury and team news

Bristol City look to pick themselves up from their defeat to Sheffield United as they face the Championship’s crisis-hit club Derby County.

The Robins after a poor run of form at home have switched it around and started earning points at Ashton Gate, whilst their away form has slumped.

After a win against Stoke and a point against Blackburn, this game should favour City given the predicament of the two clubs.

Derby are on just one point, despite four wins and ten draws, which would at least have them above Barnsley, but a 21-point deduction for administration and EFL punishments, have them 11 points from safety.

City are a whole 22 points above their opponents but are just seven points from safety and are ten points off the play-offs, though this is a season of transition.

Last season both sides claimed a 1-0 win over each other with City beating Derby thanks to a Famara Diedhiou strike in November before Colin Kazim-Richards got revenge in January.

In total, there have been 77 meetings between the two teams with the first stretching back to December 1906, out of all of those meetings, City have won 21, drawn 18 and lost 38.

What’s the latest team news for Bristol City?

There was some good news this week as Andy King and Matty James both resumed first-team training.

The two former Leicester City midfielders have been out with hamstring and foot injuries respectively and are now back on the grass.

Saturday’s game is likely to be too soon for them but they have been introduced to training to help assist what could be a youthful midfield on Saturday.

Defender George Tanner has also joined them out on the training pitch and is in contention to play a game before Christmas.

Ayman Benarous, Han-Noah Massengo and Tyreeq Bakinson all started in a midfield three with Callum O’Dowda and Alex Scott supporting them on either flank.

Given the lack of options other than the continued exile of Kasey Palmer from the first-team squad, there shouldn’t be many changes expected at least in the midfield.

One enforced change though will be Nathan Baker who has suffered a second head injury of the season. He was stretchered off in Sunday’s defeat and was admitted to hospital before being released on the same day. Baker has not taken part in first-team training this week and has been recovering at home whilst the club follows concussion procedures.

What’s the latest team news for Derby County?

One notable absentee for Saturday is Sam Baldock. Baldock played at Bristol City for three seasons but after injuring his hamstring, he will remain out for the remainder of 2021.

Left-back Lee Buchanan is also unavailable after sustaining a knee injury. Like Baldock, he was injured in the shock 3-2 win over AFC Bournemouth and is likely to be replaced by Craig Forsyth.

Krystian Bielik, who can play as a centre-back or as a defensive midfielder is still continuing his recovery from an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

A player to be wary of is their captain Tom Lawrence, who leads both the scoring and assisting charts in the team. In 18 appearances, he has scored five goals and created three, which highlights how crucial he is to their team.

Graeme Shinnie is tied with Lawrence on three assists and could cause problems either at left-back or in the centre of the midfield.

Derby’s centre-back partnership consists of Curtis Davies and Phil Jagielka, so City may want to expose their veteran defence.

Is the match on TV?

Unlike last week’s match which was available on both the Sky Sports Red Button and Robins TV, this match will not be available to stream for those in the United Kingdom.

Tickets are still available to buy from the club if you are interested in attending the match.

How can I watch highlights?

The EFL on Quest, which is on QUEST and Discovery+ from 9.00 pm is the place to watch highlights.

Sky Sports news does show some of the goals in a super condensed manner and they usually become available at around 5.30 pm.