3/1 To Win
Gary Rowett has confirmed that the majority of his squad will have the chance to prove their fitness as Derby County gear up for their Friday night clash with Sunderland at Pride Park Stadium.
The Rams haven’t played since the goalless draw at the City Ground against Nottingham Forest on 11th March, after the Cardiff City postponement prior to the international break.
The gap in the fixture list has allowed many to work their way back into contention and Rowett expects to be missing just three names, including Tom Huddlestone who will be serving a one-match suspension.
Speaking to RamsTV, he said: “We will have a few back, but there a couple that have yet to return to training.
“Marcus Olsson still hasn’t trained, Sam Winnall will not be available, but other than that a lot of players will have the chance to be available.”
Rowett has welcomed the extra preparation time that Derby have been afforded ahead of the visit from Chris Coleman’s side, and he highlighted the heavy workload of two of his key players.
Curtis Davies and Richard Keogh have started every single Sky Bet Championship game so far this season, and the boss is pleased that his central defensive pairing have been given a richly-deserved rest ahead of the final nine games of the season.
He said: “Two weeks is a long time in football and it’s allowed some of the players to get some training minutes under their belt, with the chance of being ready for the next game.
“It’s important to give the players a breather sometimes, with the likes of Curtis Davies and Richard Keogh who have played virtually every minute of every game.
“At this stage of the season, some of those players probably need more of a breather than some of the others so it’s been useful.
“We will go into the next game more prepared than we would normally be because we have had more time to work with the lads.”
