3/1 To Win
Derby County’s Under-23s are back in Premier League Cup action on Friday night when they travel south to face Charlton Athletic.
dcfc.co.uk has brought together all the key information you will need to know ahead of the game.
Premier League Cup Format...
Mirroring the format of the UEFA Champions League, the Premier League Cup consists of eight four-team groups, with each club playing their opposing teams both home and away.
It's the first Premier League Cup campaign since 2019/20, when the competition was curtailed in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and it includes Academies from Categories 1, 2, 3 and 4.
Clubs in the third and fourth categories have been competing in qualifiers to join the top-level Academies in the group stage.
Derby County are in Group C alongside Charlton Athletic, Norwich City and Reading and the full fixture list can be found here.
Team News...
Pat Lyons is set to have a similar group available to the one that featured in the 1-0 home defeat to Liverpool on Monday evening.
First-team pair Dylan Williams and Louie Watson stepped into the Under-23s to get match minutes under their belts but, with Wayne Rooney's side hosting Sheffield United on Saturday, they may be required for the matchday squad.
Midfielder Jordan Brown and defender Harrison Solomon are fit again after spells out injured while winger Tyree Wilson (knee) remains sidelined.
Pre-Match Views - Coaching Staff...
Senior Professional Development Phase Coach Pat Lyons spoke to RamsTV after Monday's 1-0 Premier League 2 - Division 1 defeat to Liverpool, with the full video available below.
The Premier League Cup So Far...
Derby County’s Under-23s are already through to the knock-out stages of the Premier League Cup with two matches left to play in Group C.
Derby sit top of Group C with ten points out of 12 just after the halfway stage and the next challenge for the Under-23s is to confirm top spot.
A 3-3 draw at Norwich earlier in the season got this season’s competition up and running in September.
That point on the road was followed up with 2-1 home wins over Charlton Athletic and Reading in October and November.
A 5-2 success at home to Norwich before Christmas confirmed qualification to the latter stages of the competition, with midfielder Louie Sibley scoring a hat-trick in a thrilling encounter.
Charlton, meanwhile, are second in Group C with two wins and a single draw and defeat apiece and are three points behind the Rams.
Live Stream...
RamsTV is unable to stream the game live owing to a Premier League match taking place on Friday night.
Full match highlights from the Premier League 2 - Division 1 clash will appear online on dcfc.co.uk following the game.
