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Bristol City make the trip up to the East Midlands on Friday evening as they face Derby County away from home.
Gerhard Struber has bad memories of Pride Park, with Wayne Rooney running the show for the Rams in a 2-1 win over Barnsley in January 2020.
However, the Robins have started well under their new head coach. They beat Sheffield United 4-1 on the opening day, before they were held to a 0-0 draw at home to Charlton Athletic last weekend, and they may fancy themselves against John Eustace’s side.
Meanwhile, Derby have lost both of their first two games. They sit 22nd in the Championship table, and there will be one player looking to get one over his former club under the lights in DE24.
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Max Bird could start for Bristol City vs Derby County
Max Bird missed the win over the Blades through injury, and came on for the final 33 minutes of the contest against the Addicks. He is coming close to a full return to action, and it may well come against his former club.
The 24-year-old played all 46 games of the Championship campaign last time out for Bristol City, and he will be hoping to make a similar impact in the coming weeks and months – starting against Derby.
Struber explained Bird’s fitness ahead of the clash (via: Bristol Live): “Yeah, he’s very close to being a starter player, and we will see. I will take my decision on Friday, but of course, he is close.
“He is, for us, a key player, but he knows also, from the same time, that he was out for, I would say, the whole pre-season, so we will see. But he’s ready, and he’s also very excited to play against Derby.”
There’s great competition in midfield at Ashton Gate, with Adam Randell and another former Ram in Jason Knight also vying for those positions: “Maybe all three players we see? We will see what’s going on, on Friday night,” Struber said when asked about any selection difficulties involving the trio.
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Max Bird has fond memories of Derby County
It’s been just over a year since Bird left Derby to join Bristol City, and while his first reunion with his former club did not go too well, his second did as the Robins beat the Rams at home.
Nonetheless, the midfielder had an incredible time with the East Midlands outfit, coming through the ranks to become a key member of the squad after starting in the academy.
He scored the first goal on the final day of the 2023/24 League One campaign, as Derby beat Carlisle United 2-0 to secure promotion to the Championship.
In total, Bird made 200 appearances for the Rams. He scored 10 goals and registered 17 assists during that time. However, his loyalties remain firmly with Bristol City now and he will do everything he can to secure all three points for his side at Pride Park.