An East Midlands derby showdown is next up for Derby County’s Under-23s as they prepare to take on Nottingham Forest in their latest Premier League Cup on Monday evening.
The Rams face the Reds under the Pride Park Stadium floodlights off the back of six wins in their last seven outings (kick-off: 7pm) and here, dcfc.co.uk has pulled together all the information you are going to need to know ahead of kick-off…
WHAT’S THE LATEST TEAM NEWS
The Rams will be without Premier League 2 Player of the Month nominee Alex Babos for the East Midlands derby showdown with Nottingham Forest.
The 19-year-old attacker has also been called up to the Wales Under-21s squad for the first time following a string of impressive performances and will link up with the Red Dragons on Monday.
That aside, Darren Wassall have a near fully fit squad to call upon for the big fixture.
Kyle McAllister, however, remains a long-term absentee.
SETTING THE SCENE
Derby County’s Under-23s come into Monday night’s East Midlands derby showdown in flying form after securing a sixth win in seven games last week.
Darren Wassall’s Rams showed great resilience to defeat German outfit Wolfsburg to get their Premier League International Cup campaign off to a flying start last Wednesday.
On top of that, over the last month and a half, Derby have also come out on top in matches against the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.
Now, Wassall has challenged his group of players to head into the international break with bragging rights behind them in a fixture that he says, no matter how old you are, is ‘massive’ in this part of the world.
With that, Derby’s academy director says it is important for his squad to show the same mental qualities that are needed when it comes to derby matches at senior level.
“The Forest game is going to be a case of us trying to pick up from where we left off against Wolfsburg,” Wassall told RamsTV.
“I’m looking for the players to put in a really strong performance in terms of our work ethic, discipline, determination and togetherness, whilst at the other end, showing some quality as well.
“We know local derbies are always a little bit special, no matter what age you are. We saw what the atmosphere was like at Pride Park last month for the first team game and whilst there won’t be as big a crowd for this game, it’s just as big for the players as that one was.
“Hopefully we can keep our heads and put in another great performance.”
Read Darren Wassall’s and Joe Bateman’s full pre-match interview now on dcfc.co.uk.
HOW CAN I ATTEND?
Supporters will be able to back Darren Wassall’s Under-23s side FREE OF CHARGE for their showdown, but must collect a ticket from the Derby County Ticket Office presented by Showcase Cinema de Lux at Pride Park Stadium, or via the popular Print@Home service, to gain access into the stadium.
Fans were advised to collect their ticket ahead of the day of the game to avoid potential queuing on the night.
There will be no reserved seating on the night and supporters will be housed in lower section of the East Stand.
The club will also open up Car Park A, which is located on the same side as the East Stand, and parking will be available on a first come, first served basis.
Purchases can also be made by calling 0871 472 1884 (option 1) or in person from the Ticket Office during normal opening hours.
PREMIER LEAGUE CUP LAST TIME OUT?
BIRMINGHAM CITY U23s 0-1 DERBY COUNTY U23s
Friday 29th September, 2017
Offrande Zanzala scored the only goal as Derby County Under-23s opened their Premier League Cup campaign with a thoroughly professional 1-0 win away at Birmingham City back in September.
After a low-key first half, the Rams came out firing after the break and they were rewarded by Zanzala’s winner just five minutes into the second period – in a game where a number of Rams first team players gained valuable match minutes under their belts.
Derby County U23s: Barnes; Bateman, Cover, Shackell, Karic; Thorne, Guy; Walker, Thomas, Anya; Zanzala
Substitutes not used: Ravas, Macdonald, Wassall, Babos, Stabana
Birmingham City U23s: Weaver; Dacres-Cogley, Cleary, Seddon; Hutton, Mulders (Lubala, 68), O’Keeffe, Timms (Storer, 55); Lakin, McFarlane, Bailey (McCoy, 28)
Substitutes not used: Siviter, Martin
HOW CAN I FOLLOW THE ACTION?
Rams supporters not able to attend Monday night’s fixture will still be able to follow all of the action LIVE and for FREE on RamsTV. As usual, you will be able to keep up to date with all the key moments across the official Derby County Academy Twitter account, @dcfcacademy, whilst a full match report, match images, reaction and match highlights will follow across dcfc.co.uk and RamsTV after the full-time whistle.
