Supercomputer’s 1-1 prediction for Wrexham vs Derby County is a tough one to take for Red Dragons fans wishing Wrexham to march into the playoff spots sooner rather than later.
Welcome 4th January, and with it arrives another matchday of the Championship season. Not as big and extraordinary as the Boxing Day or the New Year game, but definitely a pre-holiday crunch time for the clubs.
Surviving the final day of what’s been a breathtaking schedule of 4 games within 10 days, today’s game ought to bring some relief for the players & staff. Yet these are the matches where promotion battles are won & lost, and that’s what is expected from the Wrexham vs Derby contest also.
Note it, despite flying high on a 3/3 run, Wrexham’s Pride Park visit comes differently. Taking correspondence from the pre-matchday rankings, it’s arguably the tightest contest for the Dragons in a while.
If you remember, the Wrexham Vs Swansea showdown stood as a 15th Vs 19th ranked game. Obviously, the standings didn’t help the Dragons, but the difference was evident, right?
Similar discrepancies followed when Wrexham took on Sheffield United, Preston & Blackburn, too. What today’s Derby game does is pose a far more neck-to-neck pressure situation as the 11th-ranked side hosts the Dragons(10th-ranked).
Needless to say, a slip here costs more than it did in the last games. Claiming the 3 points won’t just give the winner an advantage, it would have the losing side catching up in the Championship’s cutthroat competition.
Supercomputer plays it safe with prediction
Turning to analysts & pundits for their verdict ahead of a possible “6-point promotion clash” like this becomes a necessity. But while many would shy away from a hot take that’s likely to go cold here, we turn to the supercomputer’s matchday predictions.
And lo! Even he played it safe by sharing the points between Wrexham & Derby County. As per The 44, the Dragons & Rams ought to finish on a 1-1 scoreline at full-time today.
Now, given Wrexham fans’ history with matchday predictions, it’s fair for them to call out a draw result. To say the supercomputer makes their job easier here won’t be wrong.
Noting a pattern, every draw prediction from the Supercomputer in matchday 26 borrows some foundation from a previous result. In fact, in Wrexham’s 1-1 speculation or Middlesbrough’s 1-1 Southampton prediction, the scoreline feels copied and pasted from their first ties this season.
Building on such conclusions, dismissing the Supercomputer’s forecast for Wrexham Vs Derby feels the sensible take. Still, even if not for the exact 1-1 scoreline, there exist reasons that scream a draw and just a draw here.
A draw could feel a spoiled party for Wrexham fans
Remember the first Wrexham Vs Derby game this season? It was a hard-fought 1-1 result where two unconventional scorers registered their names on the scoresheet.
No disrespect intended, but one never expects Lewis O’Brien to give the Dragons a lead, let alone from a header. The same goes for Derby’s Ben Brereton, who scored a goal of the season contender that day, not to see the scoresheet ever again.
Given a game with such a history, the best one can predict is an all-even game once again. Should it happen, Wrexham fans are in for despair.
That’s because, while a draw isn’t the worst result possible, it wears on the fans’ patience. Having seen the club secure 3 back-to-back wins, a draw delays the feeling of seeing Wrexham in the green promotion zone for the first time.
Quite the contrary, a point to complement their last win could be encouraging for Derby as they accommodate fresh signings in this game.
Overall, the verdict’s clear as Wrexham go on the road being the more vulnerable side. Still, that’s the way the Dragons have progressed till the 10th spot so far. Hopefully, a brilliant matchday awaits them.
