The U’s have won three and drawn two of their first five Sky Bet Championship games on home soil, helping them to sit 11th in the table.
United host the Rams tonight, and we picked out six key players to keep an eye out for.
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Eiran Cashin
The 22-year-old centre back came through the Rams academy and has played 132 times for the first team, scoring five goals.
One of those strikes came during the previous clash between the U’s and the Rams, when he netted in the 86th minute to complete a turnaround victory from 2-0 down at Grenoble Road back in December.
He made his debut in December 2021, and has started nine out of 10 Championship games this season.
Craig Forsyth
The Scottish left back is the Rams’ longest-serving player having been at the club since March 2013, initially on loan.
The 35-year-old came through the Dundee academy and joined Watford in June 2011.
A loan move to the Rams was made permanent in the summer of 2013, and he has since made 341 appearances for the club.
Ebou Adams
The 28-year-old defensive midfielder spent the beginning of his career at Dartford, Norwich City and Ebbsfleet United, before a move to Forest Green Rovers in June 2019 saw him make his break in professional football.
He spent just under three years in Gloucestershire, and joined Cardiff City on a free transfer in May 2022.
Injuries though disrupted his time in South Wales, and after impressing on loan with the Rams in the second half of last season, he made the move permanent in the summer, and has started eight league games so far this campaign.
Nathaniel Mendez-Laing
The powerful 32-year-old winger played for Wolves and Peterborough United before finding his feet with Rochdale.
Twenty goals across two years led to a switch to Cardiff, and subsequent spells at Middlesbrough and Sheffield Wednesday.
He joined the Rams in July 2022, and has since netted 18 goals in 113 appearances.
Kayden Jackson
The 30-year-old striker had stints at Swindon Town, Tamworth, Wrexham and Barnsley, before striking 16 goals to help Accrington Stanley lift the Sky Bet League Two title during the 2017/18 season.
Six years at Ipswich Town then came to an end in the summer, finishing on a high with promotion to the Premier League.
He’s struck three goals for the Rams since joining on a free transfer.
Jerry Yates
The 27-year-old striker came through the system at Rotherham United, but it was a switch to Blackpool in July 2020 when the goals really started to flow.
He smashed 46 goals in 139 games, including in the 3-3 draw in the second leg of the League One play-off semi-finals against United at the end of the 2020/21 campaign.
He signed for Swansea City in a reported £2.5 million move last summer, and grabbed nine goals prior to joining the Rams on loan this season.