Can the Cherries keep it tight against the Rams?

The game at the iPro stadium is an opportunity for AFCB players to show that they can compete with a top Championship side. Derby will not be sitting back in this match and it would be easy to be overwhelmed by the ferocity of the attacks that the Cherries are likely to have to repel. I assume that Eddie Howe will look to match the Rams though for their passing display and possession of the ball. It will be fighting fire with fire, but who will he play?

As long as Eunan O'Kane is fit I am confident that he will play in front of the back four and Lee Camp that played in the last game. If Grabban plays alone up front then AFCB are likely to bring Andrew Surman back into the team, which is perhaps hard on Shaun MacDonald.

No doubt AFCB will try and soak up some pressure and play a little on the break, but can they do it as well as when they played Reading away? I do expect that the Cherries will have to try and frustrate and defend for large periods. Without Charlie Daniels AFCB might not have such pace on the left wing although Pugh is no slouch and Surman can move about behind Grabban and Surman's quick thinking gives the Cherries an unpredictability that can unlock defences when breaking swiftly. With Arter and O'Kane also able to produce final balls that cut through defences, I don't believe Derby will have it all their own way but there is one player I would like to see taking the game by the scruff of the neck. 

Matt Ritchie could break the deadlock.

That player is Matt Ritchie. I believe he has the talent to destroy teams on his day and I would like to see him more involved than he has been in the last few games. Some days Ritchie is unplayable and that is what I would like to see on Saturday. In a tight game it will simply come down to a match winner and if a chance falls to Ritchie anywhere around the box we all know he can finish.

A sweet Ritchie strike would be fabulous.

In the last two matches the Cherries have scored from corners, so what are the chances of them making it a trio today? Check out all the latest odds for this game and others at Free Bet Negotiator. When the teams last met on 23 November 2013, Eddie Howe just felt that AFCB did not work Derby's keeper hard enough. This is likely to be another game with few opportunities so it is important that AFCB take any chance that comes their way.

  When the teams last met in November, Derby were 0:1 winners at Dean Court.

Does Eddie need to break the bank?

There has been a lot of talk in the last few days about whether AFCB need to bring in a new striker or, if not, two or three. While I do not want Eddie to go and break the bank to bring someone in, I am not sure if he will look to spend unless he does see a player with the right credentials at this stage. Since the early summer bid for Danny Ings we have only been signing free transfers and the budget is not going to allow for much more with these Financial Fair Play Rules.

We can 'um and ah' about who Eddie should bring in whether it be, Austin, Sharp, Ings, Mason, Vokes or Evans Blake to name a few, but he may well just resist the fan's clamour for reinforcements. Any striker that did come in would have to be able to play the AFCB way straight away and that would put Vokes and Ings ahead in my book. On the money front, I can't see Sharp or Austin as real candidates, however much we all like to dream. At least Evans-Blake could possibly be a free transfer and he did well last time around in the Championship in front of goal, even if Wolves did not fare well.  

Joe Mason is an interesting one as Cardiff City are absolutely resolute in that he is going nowhere, which tells me that AFCB have probably been fishing to see if they can get him on a loan move. With Tubbs having departed on loan I would not be surprised if  Eddie has something up his sleeve, but I would not expect a big money signing.

If we do keep our powder dry, and don't bring any one in, it may just help our cause come January when the team will know how it stands in the Championship. Then we will have some idea of what we could be lacking in, or what we need to push on in this difficult league - we'll just have to hope it is not too late.