Derby County vs Bradford
EFL Trophy
Tuesday
9th January 2024
Pride Park Stadium
The most comprehensive preview, detailed analysis and reliable predictions of the EFL Trophy fixture between Derby County and Bradford.
Derby County vs Bradford: Preview
Derby County form analysis
The Rams have shown positive signs in recent League One games, despite some mixed results. They started this run by beating Lincoln City 3-1 at home on December 22nd; goals from Conor Hourihane, Kwaku Wilson and James Collins sealed the win despite Davis Mândroiu’s temporary equalizer. Four days later, Derby backed that up with an impressive 1-0 away win against promotion rivals Wigan thanks to Curtis Nelson’s 19th minute effort.
However, defensive issues resurfaced as Derby surrendered a 2-0 lead to lose 3-2 away at Oxford United on December 30th, despite late goals from Lee Thompson and Eiran Cashin halving the deficit after Collins had reduced the arrears. Most recently on January 1st, defensive woes continued as Derby let slip a lead twice in a 3-2 home loss to Peterborough, with Collins scoring both despite late goals from Ronnie Jones and Kwame Poku turning the game around. Overall, Derby have shown attacking endeavour lately but remain prone to defensive collapses, an issue they must address to sustain consistent promotion form.
Bradford form analysis
Bradford City have endured mixed fortunes in recent League Two games. They started positively by coming from behind to beat struggling Doncaster 3-1 away on December 23rd, with late goals from Andy Cook sealing the win after Tom Smith had equalized. However, defensive issues soon resurfaced; on December 26th Bradford squandered a two goal lead at home to draw 2-2 with Morecambe, with late goals from Billy Halliday only earning a point after going two down inside 20 minutes. Bradford then failed to build momentum as they drew 0-0 at home against Stockport on December 30th.
These defensive problems persisted into 2023; on New Year’s Day Bradford suffered a narrow 1-0 loss away to Crewe after conceding to a Chris Long penalty before capitulating in a 4-2 home loss to Crawley on January 6th, despite twice leading through Luke Ridehalgh and an own goal. Overall, while Bradford have shown attacking endeavour lately, glaring defensive issues have prevented them from finding consistency during this spell. Addressing these problems could spark an upturn in form.
