3/1 To Win
Derby County’s Under-23s will get their 2017/18 Premier League 2 season underway with a home clash against Arsenal this evening, kick-off: 7pm.
The Rams take on the Gunners at St George’s Park in the first of two matches this week and ahead of tonight’s Division 1 opener, 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?
Darren Wassall has revealed that he will have a near fully fit squad to call upon when Derby County’s Under-23s face Arsenal.
Callum Guy, however, is likely to miss out on a return to action.
The midfielder, who enjoyed a fruitful loan spell at Port Vale last season, has been suffering with illness and has had a stop-start pre-season campaign.
Charles Vernam continues to be ruled out with a leg injury, but Wassall will be boosted by the return of Offrande Zanzala and Kyle McAllister.
Zanzala missed the entire 2016/17 season with an ACL injury, whilst McAllister is yet to feature in a competitive game for the Rams’ Under-23s’ since joining from St Mirren in January of this year due to niggling groin problem.
SETTING THE SCENE
Derby County’s Under-23s will getting their second season as a Premier League 2 Division 1 side underway after they avoided relegation last season.
A remarkable turnaround after the turn of the year saw the Rams climb from the foot of the table to eighth, with a 2-1 home win over Chelsea on the final day of the 2016/17 campaign securing their safety.
With the experience of their first year behind them, Kellan Gordon, the 19-year-old wideman, says Derby’s Under-23s are determined to not find themselves in a position where they are fighting to beat the drop again.
“Last season, we didn’t have the best of starts, but we don’t want to find ourselves in that position again where we are having to fight to stay up,” Gordon recalled.
“We have got the players to do it again. We have got the ability and now we have to make it happen.
“It’s a tough start, but we’re in this division for the hard games and to play against the best players around. We’re ready for what’s to come.
“We know we can win these kind of games – we proved that last season – so there’s no reason why we cannot start well.”
The Rams lost both of their meetings with Arsenal last season and in an interview with RamsTV ahead of this game, Wassall, Derby’s academy director, revealed the Gunners were the best side his players came up against last season.
He said: “We were talking the other day, myself, Pat Lyons and Craig Short, about the games coming up and we agreed that Arsenal were probably the best team that we faced last year.
“Now, I know they didn’t win the league – Everton did – but Arsenal had some really good individual talent and some really exciting talent.
“We know that every time we have faced Arsenal it has been a real battle and they are capable of beating anyone on their day with the players they have got in their team.
“We know it is going to be a really tough game.”
Read Darren Wassall’s and Kellan Gordon’s full interviews by clicking on the links below:
Arsenal Were The Best We Faced Last Season
Gordon Out To Build On Last Season’s Momentum
HOW CAN I ATTEND?
As was the case last season, supporters will be able to watch Derby County’s Under-23s for FREE at St George’s Park this evening.
No tickets for admission is needed ahead of the fixture at Burton-upon-Trent base, whilst car parking spaces are available on a first come first served basis.
WHAT HAPPENED LAST TIME?
DERBY COUNTY U23s 1-3 ARSENAL U23s
Friday 9th September, 2016
A classy first half performance from Arsenal saw Derby County’s Under 23s fall to a 3-1 defeat at St George’s Park.
Chris Willock opened the scoring as the Rams went behind early doors for the third consecutive game, before Chuba Akpom, who was on loan at Hull City last season, made it two with a similar finish.
The same man added a second before the hour mark, as Charles Vernam’s penalty conversion proved to be a consolation despite Darren Wassall’s side rally late on.
Derby County U23s: Ravas, Stabana, Rawson, Wassall, Cover (Gordon, 46), Macdonald; Hanson, Guy, Elsnik (Babos, 57), Santos (Jakobsen, 67); Vernam
Substitutes not used: Barnes, Walker
Arsenal U23s: Keto, Johnson, Da Graca, Bielik, Bola (Da Silva, 70), Zelalem, Sheaf, Maitland-Niles, Mavididi, Willock, Akpom
Substitutes not used: Bannacer, Virginia, Dragomir, Mourgos
HOW CAN I FOLLOW THE ACTION?
Rams supporters not attending Monday night’s fixture will be able to follow all of the action LIVE and for FREE on RamsTV. Click here for full detailsAs usual, you will be able to keep up to date with all the key moments across the official Derby County Twitter account, @dcfcofficial, whilst a full match report, match images, reaction and match highlights will follow across dcfc.co.uk and RamsTV after the full-time whistle.
