3/1 To Win
Another game and another competition – Derby County’s Under-23s turn their focus to the Premier League International Cup tonight when they take on Everton at Pride Park Stadium.
The Rams will be looking to maintain their 100 per cent record in the competition following their victory over Wolfsburg last month and 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
For the third game running, Darren Wassall will have a similar squad to choose from when his Under-23s side face Everton.
Darren Bent, Mason Bennett, Max Lowe, Jamie Hanson and Jason Shackell all played in the Rams’ 2-1 Premier League Cup win over Middlesbrough last Friday and it will be interesting to see if the five players feature in this game.
Gary Rowett’s side have got a behind-closed-doors friendly fixture pencilled in against Oldham Athletic on Wednesday and he may decide to play all those players in that game.
Should that be the case, it could see a number of members of the Derby’s high-flying Under-18s squad step up.
Kyle McAllister continues to be ruled out of action.
SETTING THE SCENE
The Rams will be looking to maintain their 100 per cent record in the Premier League International Cup.
Wassall’s side deservedly defeated Wolfsburg at Pride Park last month – thanks to a late own goal – and a win over Everton now would really put them in the driving seat to qualify for the next round of the competition.
Everton are bottom of Group C at the moment and are searching for their first win after being beaten by 3-1 by Wolfsburg themselves.
After an impressive performance in their 2-1 win over Middlesbrough last time out, we spoke to Mason Bennett and as well as continuing to build up his own match fitness and sharpness, the 21-year-old is determined to help the Under-23s maintain their momentum.
He said: “Everton have got a great academy, they’ve got a lot of young lads coming through into the first team now, so we know that it’s going to be a tough game and we’re going to have to work hard to get a result.
“We’ll be full of confidence, we can take what we did in our last match into this game and try to get a few more goals because, especially for the forwards, that’s what we’re trying to do.
“We’re trying to create and score goals and we know that the lads down the other end are trying to keep the ball out of the back of the net.
“In any game I play, all I want to do is win, that’s my mentality and a lot of the lads are the same.
“Hopefully, we can get the result and then the lads can kick on in the competition.”
Look out for full pre-match interviews with Mason Bennett and Josh Barnes on dcfc.co.uk now.
HOW CAN I ATTEND?
Supporters will be able to back Darren Wassall’s Under-23s side FREE OF CHARGE once again on Tuesday evening when they face the Toffees.
As has been the case all season, there will be no reserved seating and tickets will not be required for this Premier League International Cup fixture.
Supporters are advised to head straight to the lower section of the East Stand upon their arrival on the night.
The club will also open up Car Park A, which is located on the same side as the East Stand, and this will be available on a first come, first served basis.
WHAT HAPPENED LAST TIME?
DERBY COUNTY U23s 0-1 EVERTON U23s
Monday 18th September, 2017
Derby County’s Under-23s fell to a narrow 1-0 defeat at Pride Park Stadium back in September as Harry Charsley’s strike settled a tight game of very few chances for the reigning Premier League 2 Division 1 champions Everton.
Charsley struck midway through the first half for the Toffees, before the visitors produced an excellent workman-like display that frustrated the Rams despite their best efforts during the second half.
Notably, Craig Forsyth, Jason Shackell and Mason Bennett all featured for the entirety of the fixture. Max Bird and Callum Guy also returned to the pitch for Derby’s Under-23s after making their professional debuts against Barnsley.
Derby County U23s: Mitchell, Stabana, Forsyth, Thorne (Jakobsen, 14; Zanzala, 62), Wassall, Shackell, Thomas, Guy (Bateman, 46), Bennett, Bird, Babos
Substitutes not used: Barnes, Macdonald
Everton U23s: Hilton, Jones, Garbutt, Baningime, Feeney, Gibson, Evans, Charsley, Sambou (Donkor, 74), Adeniran (Foulds, 74), Henen (Markello, 85)
Substitutes not used: Hansen, Broadhead
HOW CAN I FOLLOW THE ACTION?
Rams supporters not attending Tuesday night’s fixture will 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, matc images, reaction and match highlights will follow across dcfc.co.uk and RamsTV after the full-time whistle.
