Derby County’s Under-21s will take on East Midlands neighbours Nottingham Forest in their latest Premier League 2 - Division 2 fixture on Friday night.
The Under-21s will make the journey across Brian Clough Way to face the Reds at the Nigel Doughty Academy (7pm kick-off) and dcfc.co.uk has brought together all the key information you will need to know ahead of the game.
Please Note: This match is being played behind-closed-doors and therefore supporters cannot attend.
Team News...
Defender Max Bardell will miss out after sustaining a hamstring injury in the Under-21s' 3-0 loss at Southampton at the start of January while Harrison Solomon remains sidelined with a knee issue.
Defender Will Grewal-Pollard and forward Sonny Blu Lo-Everton made their comebacks at Southampton earlier this month while Connor Dixon is also back in the fold after a lengthy lay-off due to injury.
Defender Leigh Kavanagh and midfielder Joe Haigh have returned to Brighton & Hove Albion and Chelsea respectively after half-season loans with the Under-21s.
Pre-Match Thoughts...
Under-21s boss Pat Lyons sat down with RamsTV to preview the Under-21s' second game of 2023 following three recent match postponements.
Under-21s midfielder Darren Robinson also spoke to RamsTV to discuss his recent return from injury and to preview the short trip across the East Midlands.
The Season So Far...
The Under-21s won four games in a row going into Christmas to extend their unbeaten run to five matches, but they were beaten 3-0 by Southampton last time out in their first match of 2023.
Three of the wins in their fine run came in the Premier League Cup for Pat Lyons’ side to reach the knockout stages of the competition, while a victory at Graham Street Prims in the Derbyshire Senior Cup set them up for a Fourth Round trip to Alfreton Town which, after being postponed earlier this month, will be played in February.
In Premier League 2 - Division 2, Derby do have some work to do after tasting ten defeats from ten matches in the league so far in a challenging start to the season but their recent unbeaten run has provided a solid platform for them to kick-start their campaign.
To view the Under-21s' full 2022/23 fixture list, please click here.
Live Stream...
RamsTV is not streaming the game live on Friday night.
Full match highlights from the Premier League 2 - Division 2 clash will appear online on dcfc.co.uk following the match.
