Will there be any Christmas joy for the Rams this year? It's a proper mid-table face-off in the last match of 2008.

Derby County v Ipswich Town
Coca Cola Championship
3:00pm 28th December 2008
Pride Park, Derby

Both teams come from defeat on Boxing Day and will only have two days to shake off the defeat and prepare for this game. Ipswich lost 1-0 against top side Birmingham and Ipswich boss Jim Magilton told the BBC: "For 30 minutes we were very good. We passed the ball well but lacked a bit of quality around the box."

Ipswich haven't won any of their last three and have only won one match since they beat Derby 2-0 at Portman Road on November 22nd. Jim Magilton is under increasing pressure from Ipswich fans and another defeat against mediocre Derby County will probably not be too popular, but the club sit 3 points above Derby in 13th place.

David Wright might be back in the Ipswich line-up against Derby, replacing Moritz Volz who picked up a knock against Birmingham. Alex Bruce completes his four-match band so the former Real Madrid player Ivan Campo will probably keep his place in the side.

Danny Haynes and Owen Garvan are both doubtful for the game as well. Jim Magilton said: "We have one or two lads who are carrying knocks but we will wait and see and have a look on the day. I can see a lot of things working at Pride Park, but what we have to do is look at the body count and then look at what shape we go."

Former Ram Jon Stead is likely to start and is the club's top scorer in the league with 6 goals. Another former on-loan Ram is fellow striker Kevin Lisbie. What is the odds at least one of them will score?

Ipswich facts

No. Position Player
1 GK Richard Wright
2 DF David Wright
4 DF Gareth McAuley (team captain)
5 DF Alex Bruce
6 DF Richard Naylor (club captain)
7 MF Owen Garvan
8 MF Tommy Miller
9 FW Pablo Couñago
10 MF David Norris
11 FW Kevin Lisbie
12 MF Jaime Peters
14 FW Jon Stead
15 DF Pim Balkestein
19 FW Jon Walters
20 MF Darren Ambrose (on loan from Charlton Athletic)
21 MF Iván Campo
22 DF Moritz Volz (on loan from Fulham)
25 MF Alan Quinn
26 MF Velice Šumulikoski
27 GK Shane Supple
33 DF Ben Thatcher
35 DF Tommy Smith
36 MF Liam Trotter
38 FW Jordan Rhodes
39 MF Jai Reason
40 FW Connor Wickham

Last 5
Norwich 2-0 Ipswich
Ipswich 3-1 Bristol City
Ipswich 1-2 Cardiff
Coventry 2-2 Ipswich
Ipswich 0-1 Birmingham

Leading scorers
Stead 6
Lisbie 5 lg 1 cup
Counago 5 lg 1 cup
Garvan 5
Walters 3 lg 1 cup

The Rams
Roy Carroll could have been back in contention against Preston after serving his two match-ban for a bust-up with Paul Jewell but wasn't even on the bench. It was a close call between Bywater and Carroll from before so it might be a while until Carroll starts again, at least not until Bywater does something that makes him lose his place in the team.

Nacer Barazite might get a rare start in the side after doing well recently. Another player we might see more from soon is Giles Barnes who might very well be the best player on the team, at least the most skilled, but has yet to start this season after a long time out from injury. A few appearances from the bench may have prepared him for the starting line-up.

Nyatanga had a poor game against Preston so Jewell might be tempted to bring Albrechtsen back in central defence but is a bit short on options in defence.

Possible team: Bywater, Albrechtsen, Nyatanga, Tomkins, Stewart, Barazite, Addison, Barnes, Commons, Varney, Hulse.

What the bookies think
Derby is a very small favourite at 7/5 while Ipswich is at 8/5. Wide open game then as the latest form and table position might suggest. If I had to put money on a first scorer I would go for Jon Stead at 13/2.

Information for travelling fans
Driving: It's 160 miles from Portman Rd. Best route is the A14 followed by the M1 North to J25. Take the A52 Brian Clough Way to Derby and the ground is on the left. Follow signs for parking.

Parking: It used to be at the old Wilmorten College site however that is now a housing estate so away fans should park at Catalyst on London Rd opposite the Navigation pub. It's about 10-15 minutes from the ground. Don't be tempted to park at Pride Park shopping centre unless you fancy being clamped. You can also park for a £5 at the hospital further up London Rd near the hospital and the Railway station. Another alternative is to pass the exit for Pride Park on Brian Clough Way and head for Pentagon Island . Take the first exit and turn left and after a few hundred yards you will come to The Cattle Market Car Park. It's about 10 minutes walk to the ground from here.

Drinking: There are a few pubs very close to the ground but if you come by train, the locale around the station is fairly inviting. The Crown and Cushion at the junction of London Rd always seems to be full of away supporters. The Brunswick is a must for any real ale fans and the Alexandra next door is my personal favourite. Fans tend to mingle in these pubs and as long as you're not being aggressive, the atmosphere is good. The Waterfall opposite the station is okay as well. If you are driving, the Navigation Pub on London Rd opposite the parking area is your best bet. Around the ground there's a Frankie & Bennie's, Harvester and the Pride Park but these tend to be very busy.

Arild's prediction
I was right when I predicted a 2-0 defeat against Preston, but Derby away is easier to predict than Derby at home. Losing at home to a struggling Ipswich side would be awful but not a huge surprise. We might very well win this one though but I predict a 1-1 draw.

Happy New Year to all you RamZoners!

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Photo: Action Images via Reuters