With the international break now behind them, Derby County will be looking for an immediate return to winning ways when they face Hull City in a Friday night showdown.
The Rams take on Leonid Slutsky’s new-look Tigers side under the Pride Park Stadium floodlights and ahead of the match, dcfc.co.uk has pulled together all the key information you are going to need to know…
WHAT’S THE LATEST TEAM NEWS?
Gary Rowett has confirmed, in an interview with RamsTV, that Tom Lawrence will make his first League start for Derby County when they face Hull City on Friday night.
The 23-year-old wideman, signed from Leicester City, has made two substitute appearances in the Sky Bet Championship so far, whilst he has made one start in the Carabao Cup.
Rowett said: “I was asked the question so why not answer it in a truthful way – Tom Lawrence will start.
“He could well have started in the previous two league games but, having won them both, it was fair to stick with the players that helped earn those wins.
“I said after the Sheffield United defeat I said that we will make changes and Tom was one player that we brought in to improve the side instantly.
“We will see if he can add something different to the team.”
On top of that, Sam Winnall is in line to make his Rams debut after signing on a season-long loan deal from Sheffield Wednesday.
Darren Bent, Jamie Hanson and Max Lowe remain ruled out through injury, whilst George Thorne continues to push closer for a return to action.
WHAT DID THE BOSS HAVE TO SAY?
Speaking ahead of Friday’s home clash with Hull City, Gary Rowett told RamsTV: ““When you look at the Hull City side, they have come down from the Premier League and made a lot of changes early on.
“Of course, we were the beneficiary of some of those by signing Curtis Davies and Tom Huddlestone.
“What’s quite difficult to see is a consistent pattern to their team as they have changed it quite a lot, in terms of the personnel and also the formation.
“They have around four players coming back from injury and also five new signings so that’s new signings to throw into the mix that could potentially start.
“With the likes of Michael Dawson at centre-back they will always have a pretty solid base and they have plenty of pace in forward areas.
“We will have be mindful of lots of different things – but it’s a cliché to say it but it is all about ourselves and especially at home.
“We have been pretty good at home in my time here. We are created chances and, generally, we have created more than the opposition in games this season – but we need to make the most of those chances.
“We want to replicate the quality we have seen on the training ground into the matches. We are looking at it.
“We have some very talented players and at the moment we are just looking for that right balance.”
WHO IS THE PLAYER TO WATCH?
While Jarrod Bowen was recently voted the club’s Player of the Month, after bagging four goals in a breakout month for the youngster, there has to be a word of note for Kamil Grosicki.
In his final game before the international break, the Polish international terrified the Bolton Wanderers defence, bagging two assists and a goal, to add to his growing tally this season.
His turn of pace and his ability to start a counter attack at the flick of a switch will pose the Derby defence a lot of questions.
The Tigers added the exciting wideman, a key player for his country at Euro 2016 and someone with over 50 international caps to his name, to their squad on the final day of the January 2017 transfer window.
His club career began with Pogon Szczecin in Poland before a move to Legia Warsaw. Grosicki signed for Rennes in 2014 and made 85 appearances, scoring 13 goals.
HOW YOU CAN SECURE YOUR SEAT?
The matchday ticket prices have been confirmed for Derby County’s Sky Bet Championship fixture against Hull City.
Ticket prices are increased on the day of a game, so pre-purchasing prior to matchdays is recommended.
Tickets are available for Derby County supporters from:
Adults - £17
Senior Citizens (aged 65+) – £12.50
Under 18s - £10.50
2 to 12 Year Olds - £6.50
* Category D & E prices are listed above.
For matchday ticket enquiries and purchases, please visit the Ticket Office at Pride Park Stadium or call 0871 472 1884 (option 1).
Alternatively, supporters can also buy tickets online right here on dcfc.co.uk.
* Calls cost 13p per minute, plus your phone company's access charge.
WHAT’S TO COME IN THE RAM?
Want to win a signed Tom Lawrence shirt this Friday night?
Well, all you have to do is make sure you buy a copy of our award-winning matchday programme, The Ram, ahead of Derby County’s match against Hull City, kick-off: 7:45pm.
One Golden Ticket has been randomly placed inside one copy of Friday’s matchday programme and its yours to find! Full details can be found here.
On top of that, as ever our matchday publication will be jam-packed full of content and notably includes interviews with Curtis Davies, Sam Winnall, Scott Carson, Darren Bent, Stefano Eranio and highly-rated academy prospect Max Bird!
Marking as the third instalment in our 2017/18 season, supporters can look forward to a full 76-page publication, which will be on sale for just £3 from all around Pride Park Stadium ahead of kick-off.
Click here for a flavour of what you can expect from our #DCFCvHCAFC edition of The Ram…
WHAT HAPPENED THE LAST TIME WE MET?
HULL CITY 0-2 DERBY COUNTY (3-2 Aggregate)
Tuesday 17th May 2016
A spirited Derby County gave everything as they pushed Hull City right to the final whistle at the KC Stadium, but came up agonisingly short as they bowed out of Play-Off Semi-Finals 3-2 on aggregate back in May 2016.
Johnny Russell got the ball rolling early on, converting at the far post at the second attempt, before Andrew Robertson’s own goal set the pulses racing 10 minutes before the interval.
Despite huffing and puffing, however, the Rams could not find the elusive third goal that would have forced extra time in Humberside as Hull set up a Wembley date with Sheffield Wednesday, who they beat 1-0 to seal a Premier League return.
Hull City: Jakupovic, Odubajo, Dawson, Davies, Robertson, Huddlestone (Meyler, 52), Livermore, Snodgrass (Maguire, 90), Elmohamady, Diame (Clucas, 90), Hernandez
Substitutes not used: Kuciak, Bruce, Maloney, Akpom
Derby County: Carson, Christie, Keogh (C), Shackell, Olsson (Camara, 90); Hughes, Hendrick, Bryson; Weimann (Ince, 60), Russell (Bent, 82), Martin
Substitutes not used: Grant, Buxton, Johnson, Butterfield
Attendance: 20,470 (2,309 away supporters)
WHO ARE THE MATCH OFFICIALS?
Darren Bond will take charge of Derby County's 2017/18 Sky Bet Championship fixture at home to Hull City on Friday evening.
Bond has taken charge of seven games so far this season, producing 22 yellows and one red.
His last Derby game was the 1-1 draw at home to Huddersfield Town towards the back end of last season.
Bond will be assisted by Andrew Fox and Nick Greenhalgh on the lines, whilst Stephen Martin has been appointed as the fourth official.
HOW CAN I FOLLOW THE ACTION?
With Friday’s match being screened live by Sky Sports, RamsTV are not be able to stream the match against the Tigers, but supporters will be listen to every kick with BBC Radio Derby.
Here’s a breakdown of what you can expect from our #DCFCvHCAFC Matchday Live production:
THURSDAY
- The Hull City Preview Show (6pm) Host Jack Woodward is joined by Michael Johnson and Roger Davies to discuss the Rams’ return to action against Hull on Friday.
- The Pre-Match Press Conference (8pm) – supporters will be able to watch back Gary Rowett’s full pre-Hull City press conference.
FRIDAY
- Matchday Live will begin with a pre-match show at 7pm ahead of the 7:45pm kick-off.
- Former Derby defender Michael Johnson and Hull striker Dean Windass join host Colin Gibson as live studio guests to discuss the game ahead and team news coming out of Pride Park Stadium.
- A pre-match interview with Gary Rowett ahead of kick-off.
- Once the match gets underway, supporters will be able to listen to live audio commentary from BBC Radio Derby.
SATURDAY
- Match Highlights and the full Matchday Live show, with commentary provided by Martin Fisher and Shane Nicholson, will be available to view for supporters in the UK the day after each first-team fixture on 12pm across dcfc.co.uk and RamsTV.
MONDAY
- The Hull City Review Show (6pm) forward Darren Bent will join Colin Gibson in the studio to mull over the Rams’ meeting with the Tigers and look ahead to Tuesday night’s Carabao Cup Second Round trip to Barnsley.
The RamsTV streaming service is available to all supporters who register on dcfc.co.uk.
To access the full RamsTV streaming service will cost the following:
First-Team Match Streaming (outside UK) - £110 annual subscription or £12.50 per month
First-Team Audio Commentary (worldwide) - £45 annual subscription or £5 per month
A link to packages can be found here.
The two premium services are in addition to the regular pre-match and post-match interviews on RamsTV.
Supporters will also be able to follow all of the action, as usual, across our social media channels.
We will be providing behind the scenes content across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, where we will also provide a blow-by-blow account of proceedings at Pride Park Stadium.