Norwich City

Our guide to the Rams

NORWICH City travel to Derby County on Saturday (3pm) in the Sky Bet Championship.

Here we take a look at what City come up against in this weekend's fixture at the iPro Stadium.

IN THE DUGOUT
A return to Steve McClaren's preferred 4-4-3 formation has proven a wise move since the 55-year-old took the reigns at Derby County once again last month.

Previously struggling for league form, Derby are now displaying similarities in approach to the one which brought relative success during McClaren's first spell in charge from 2013 to 2015.


That period saw County twice fall short of promotion to the Premier League despite positive signs for much of both seasons, prompting the ex-England boss to move to Newcastle.

A tough first few months on Tyneside saw McClaren depart St James' Park in March of this year, ultimately freeing him to replace Nigel Pearson at the helm of the Rams six weeks ago.

Guiding Middlesbrough to the 2006 UEFA Cup Final and later managing the national side, McClaren also boasts experience on the continent having spent time in charge of both FC Twente and Wolfsburg.
IN THE PRESS
Defender Chris Baird wants Derby County to build on their recent run of results when they host Norwich City this weekend in the Sky Bet Championship.

His side have had an upturn in fortunes since Steve McClaren returned as to the iPro dugout in mid-October, registering a 3-0 victory over Rotherham United in their last outing.

That extended their winning run to three games, and the now retired Northern Ireland international told Rams TV: " ONE TO WATCH
Few players across the English leagues will have enjoyed a more eventful matchday than Tom Ince did last weekend when Derby County met Rotherham United.

The attacking midfielder saw his 15th minute penalty saved by Lee Camp, but tapped home the rebound before scoring again after Darren Bent had extended the advantage.

Given a chance to secure his hat-trick after winning another spot-kick, Ince was once again denied by Camp as his personal tally for the afternoon remained at two.


That marked the second match in succession in which the 24-year-old had notched a brace, having previously netted a double during the Rams' 3-2 success at Wolves.
A product of Liverpool's Academy, Ince established himself at Blackpool August 2011 and 2014, spending time on loan to Crystal Palace towards the end of his time in Lancashire.

An unsuccessful spell at Hull followed before he got his career back on track with a loan spell at Derby; the move becoming permanent in the summer of 2015.