Derby County’s Under-23s will return to action on Friday night when they face Leeds United in their second Premier League 2 - Division 1 fixture of the season.
The Under-23s will face Leeds at Loughborough University Stadium (7pm kick-off) and dcfc.co.uk has brought together all the key information you will need to know ahead of the game.
Team News
Pat Lyons will certainly be without young winger Tyree Wilson after he suffered a knee injury in the Under-23s’ 2-0 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion last week under the Pride Park Stadium floodlights.
The wideman is set for a number of months out of action and is rated as doubtful to feature this side of Christmas.
Summer signings Luke Plange and Courtney Clarke were unavailable for the game against Brighton and while Plange is likely to miss out again, Clarke is set to return to the fold.
Midfielder Connor Dixon could return after taking part in training this week. He picked up an injury whilst training with the first-team in pre-season, ruling him out of action for around a month.
A number of first-year professionals featured against Brighton, with the likes of Isaac Hutchinson and Jordan Brown currently with the first-team squad, and are set to start once again.
The Under-23s’ game at Leicester City on Monday night, which could have been their first away fixture of the season, was postponed due to a number of COVID-19 cases in an Academy bubble.
Pre-Match Views
Senior Professional Development Phase Coach Pat Lyons spoke to RamsTV ahead of the game and said: “We’re looking forward to the game.
“We’ve had a few players missing with injuries and some also spending time with the first-team, but we’re ready to go and looking forward to the challenge.
“We have played Leeds in a few cup matches in recent years and we’ve had some good battles with them. I am sure it will be a good game.”
He added: “Hopefully we can bounce back from the Brighton defeat. I think we were a bit unfortunate on the night, looking back.”
Midfielder Liam Thompson also spoke to RamsTV ahead of the match and said: “I’m excited for the match and it’s a chance for us to put things right from the Brighton game.
“There were positives to build on in that game and also a number of things to work on too.”
Last Time Out
Derby's Under-23s got their 2021/22 season started with a 2-0 home defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion last Monday.
Cam Peupion drove home the opening goal of the game after 65 minutes at Pride Park Stadium before a header from substitute Ewan Ferguson five minutes later put the game beyond Pat Lyons’ youthful side.
Brighton played out the latter stages with ten men after James Furlong was sent off for two bookable offences, but they managed to keep the Rams at bay to take all three points.
Leeds’ Under-23s started the season with a 3-1 success on the road at Crystal Palace on Monday 16th August, before tasting a 4-2 defeat at home to Tottenham Hotspur seven days later.
Live Stream
RamsTV will be streaming the game live for supporters to watch.
In a change to the previous offering to supporters, this is available to Derby County Membership Holders and RamsTV subscribers.
Membership Holders will be sent a code to redeem to watch this season’s matches, while RamsTV subscribers simply need to log-in to their account.
Derby County Membership packages can be found here: membership.dcfc.co.uk/homeand any queries should be sent to[email protected].
RamsTV subscription options can be found here: dcfc.co.uk/page/ramstv-live-streamingand any queries should be sent to [email protected].
Ticket Information
Derby County’s Under-23s will continue to play most of their home fixtures for the 2021/22 season at Loughborough University.
Supporters will once again be able to attend the matches and tickets can be purchased in advance of each fixture from the Loughborough Sport website.
Advanced purchases are advised, and all tickets will be for the terracing areas of Loughborough University Stadium.
Tickets are priced as follows:
Season Ticket Holders: FREE (all Season Ticket Holders will be emailed a 2021/22 proof of purchase to show on arrival)
Advance Purchases: Adult £3.50, Concessions £1.50 (these include online booking fees)
Matchday Purchases: Adult £5, Concessions £2.50
* The doors will open for each match from 30 minutes before kick-off.
Stadium Address: Loughborough University Stadium, Loughborough, LE11 3TL.
Tickets for all of Derby County Under-23s’ fixtures at Loughborough University Stadium can be purchased here: loughboroughsport.ticketline.co.uk/derby-county-fc-u23.
