Derby County’s Under-21s will take a break from Premier League 2 - Division 2 action by making the long trip south to face AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League Cup on Friday night.
The Under-21s will take on the Cherries at the Vitality Stadium (7pm kick-off) and 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.
The Premier League Cup campaign 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 B alongside Brighton & Hove Albion, AFC Bournemouth and Queens Park Rangers and the full fixture list can be found here.
Team News...
Defender Max Bardell and midfielder Courtney Clarke are edging closer to their returns following injuries they sustained towards the back end of the 2021/22 season, although they are not ready to return to the fold just yet.
Centre-back Harrison Solomon and central midfielder Connor Dixon made their comebacks from injury in the 4-0 loss at Newcastle United last month for their first involvements of the season in the Under-21' matchday squad squad and are expected to get run-outs.
Midfielder Osazee Aghatise sustained an injury in training last month and he has missed the Under-21s' last three matches as a result but he is edging towards full fitness.
Twenty-year-old attacking midfielder Sonny Blu Lo-Everton has this week signed a one-year deal with Derby’s Under-21s following a trial spell. The former Watford youngster had time out on loan in the National League in the last two years at Wealdstone and Yeovil Town and will now be part of Pat Lyons’ squad for the remainder of the campaign.
2022/23 Season So Far...
Derby’s Under-21s are still looking for their first points of the 2022/23 Premier League 2 - Division 2 season after a run of five successive defeats.
Pat Lyons' side opened the campaign with a 5-2 loss against Leeds United at Pride Park Stadium, while their first away game saw them go down 3-1 at Middlesbrough.
The Rams' Under-21s went on to taste back-to-back 4-0 defeats to
Sunderland and Newcastle United in what has been a challenging start to
the campaign.
Despite going down 2-1 at West Bromwich Albion last time out, Pat Lyons' side offered an encouraging performance to suggest their fortunes will turn around sooner rather than later.
To view the Under-21s' full 2022/23 fixture list, please click here.
Live Stream...
RamsTV is not streaming the game live on Friday night.
Full match highlights from the Premier League Cup clash will appear online on dcfc.co.uk following the match.
