The72’s writers offer their Derby County vs Exeter City prediction ahead of the League One clash on Tuesday night.
Derby County come into their midweek clash with Exeter City off the back of a disappointing defeat to Shrewsbury Town at the weekend. It led vocal criticism of manager Paul Warne, with captain Conor Hourihane met with the same thing when going over to the fans.
As it stands, the Rams sit 11th in League One, four points away from the play-offs and a hefty 10 away from the top-two.
Exeter City have had a seriously tough run too, leaving their exciting start as a distant memory. The Grecians have slid all the way to 16th in the table after a run of five consecutive defeats.
Gary Caldwell’s side saw their struggles continue with a 2-0 home defeat to Wigan Athletic last time out.
Here, a handful of our writers make their predictions for the game…
James Ray
“Both teams are in dire need of a win here. It’s getting pretty toxic at Derby County, while Exeter City are on a concerning slide.
“There’s no doubt that this Derby side can perform better than they are, and that’s why such strong criticism has started to emerge. The expectations are high and on their current trajectory, they won’t meet them again.
“But, with Exeter struggling as they are, the Rams might just claim a much-needed win. I’ll go for a narrow home victory.”
Derby County vs Exeter City prediction: 1-0
Luke Phelps
“Expectations are high for Derby this season. But it’s important to remember that we’re barely a quarter of the way through the season, so those expectations need to be managed.
“Having said that, Warne could really do with a win here, and there might not be a better team to play right now than Exeter. They’re bang out of form and they’ll probably be ruing a trip to Pride Park, so I’ll say home win here.”
