Derby County will keep a keen eye on results this weekend as several of their promotion rivals are in action.
Derby County are next in action next Wednesday against Wycombe Wanderers as the Chair Boys play Peterborough in the EFL Trophy final.
A chance to rest and recuperate after their thrilling 2-2 draw against Portsmouth on Tuesday is a rare luxury at this stage of the season.
The race for promotion out of League One is heating up as several teams, including Pompey, Bolton Wanderers and Barnsley are all in action.
It’s an opportunity to see where they’ll stand heading into the final four matches.
The League One promotion picture
Derby have been given a 73% of finishing in the top two by Opta and currently sit four points ahead of Bolton Wanderers, with Ian Evatt’s side given a 21% chance of reaching the Championship.
Peterborough and Barnsley are hot on the heels of Bolton, however, the pressure is on them to win their games in hand.
If they do and Derby’s points total remains the same, the gap to the Rams will close to just two points, teeing up a frantic race to the finish.
With that being said, here’s how the fixtures are shaping up this weekend.
Bristol Rovers vs Bolton
Third-place Bolton travel to 14th-place Bristol Rovers this weekend looking to build on their thumping 5-2 victory over Reading on Easter Monday.
A win for the Wanderers is imperative to keep the pressure on Derby as they can close the gap to just a point before Paul Warne‘s men travel to Wycombe.
However, Bristol Rovers striker Chris Martin, formerly of the Rams, may have something to say about that.
Charlton vs Barnsley
With Peterborough embroiled in the EFL Trophy final, Barnsley can leapfrog the Posh into fourth place by overcoming a tricky Charlton side.
Derby discovered last month that Nathan Jones’ troops are well organised, and while that shouldn’t faze them, there is enormous pressure on the Tykes.
A loss would keep them eight points behind with just a game in hand, while a victory would close that gap to just five.
Remarkably, Barnsley have lost fewer games (8) than Peterborough, Bolton and Derby this term, but have failed to convert some of their draws into wins.
The perfect scenario
A loss in either of those fixtures, of course, is the perfect scenario for Derby.
Warne would love to have a decent cushion between him and the chasing pack before they travel to Wycombe next week, however, he knows that the Rams are in control of their destiny.
Derby can’t be caught if they win all of their remaining games, and while that is an obvious statement, it should give them added incentive to go out with a bang and cement promotion to the Championship in style.
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