Two promotion contenders go head to head on the second week of the Championship season. Derby will be looking to get their first win on the board, while Wolves come here on the back of a great victory over recently relegated Middlesbrough last weekend.
These two will both want to show what they are capable of early in the season and with promotion the goal for both of them, it will be interesting to see how they get on in this meeting.
The theme of the Championship this weekend seems to be that it is full of fantastic games, this one is no exception either, it looks to be a cracker.
Derby Form
Derby travelled to Sunderland last Friday night and came away with a point after a 1-1 draw. Sunderland don’t look like being one of the top teams this season, but they have quality in their line up and that point was a good start for Derby.
They travelled to Grimsby for their League Cup game on Tuesday, but after a short while this was abandoned and will have to be replayed at a later date.
Derby are one of those teams that often come close to promotion, this year they look to have a chance but they need to find a few extra points to really get involved for me. This game against a rival is just the type of game they have to win if they want to be seriously taken as a promotion contender.
Wolves Form
Wolves began in the right way last weekend, beating Middlesbrough 1-0 to take three valuable points off their rivals. New signing Leo Bonatini scored the goal and in what is an exciting season of change for Wolves, he was one of seven new summer signings who started the game.
The biggest problem for Wolves in my opinion will be bedding in all their signings and coming together as a team under new boss Nuno Espirito Santo, but if last Saturday is anything to go by then they are going to do that no problem.
Wolves made nine changes to their line up on Tuesday, and managed to scrape a 1-0 home win against League Two Yeovil to book their place in the League Cup second round.
Team News
With Curtis Davies and Tom Huddlestone arriving at Derby this summer, they look to be much better balanced this season and with a lot more experience. Those two are going to be key, bringing leadership and experience when the going gets tough, something that they have struggled with in the past. A repeat of last week’s performance, especially in the first half, will see them do well this season.
Wolves are still up in the air regarding their best eleven with so many new players at the club. It was a dream start for Leo Bonatini last weekend and he will be hoping for more of the same this week. Ruben Neves broke the Championship transfer record when he signed for Wolves from Porto, he started last weekend and played well, but I am sure there is more to come. He looks to be the class act they need to control the middle of the park and I am looking forward to seeing more from him.
Top Betting Tips
This looks to be a very close game between two of the leading teams in the Championship. Derby have been around the promotion spots for a few years now, although they have fell just short each time. Wolves on the other hand, have built a squad to challenge this summer, although with so many new faces, how long it takes them to settle as a squad could determine how well they do.
Wolves looked a pretty settled unit last weekend, despite giving debuts to seven new signings and if they can build on that then they look to be a class act. Following on from the promise of last weekend, I am going to back Wolves to register another victory in this game. They are available to be backed at 5/2 with Ladbrokes, a good price for a team that may just be the best team in the Championship.
Whatever we see from Wolves this weekend, I am sure there is more to come from them in the future. They have spent a lot of money but on the early signings of last weekend, it has been spent well and they have built a squad capable of promotion to the Premier League.