Derby County are preparing for their Championship opener against Blackburn Rovers, who have a series of problems to navigate before then.
Derby have made a strong start to their summer recruitment, acquiring six new players, but Paul Warne is far from done with his business.
The Rams boss expects at least three new signings to arrive at Pride Park before their fixture against Blackburn Rovers on Friday, August 8th, including a new goalkeeper, central midfielder and striker.
Derby saw a £1.4 million bid and terms agreed upon for Swedish goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterstrom from Djurgardens while a return to the club for Elliot Embleton is also on the cards.
Warne still has a lot of issues to iron out ahead of Derby’s first match, although they pale in comparison to Blackburn.
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Blackburn Rovers facing six key problems ahead of Derby County clash
Although Derby have lost their last two pre-season games against Chesterfield and Shrewsbury, the Rams can be thankful they’re not in Blackburn’s shoes.
The Lancashire outfit are yet to sign a senior player this summer while Sam Gallagher is closing in on a £1.5m move to Stoke City and last season’s Championship top scorer, Sammie Szmodics will be sold before the deadline.
That doesn’t even touch the iceberg of the problems John Eustace is facing, as attacking duo Harry Leonard and Zak Gilsenan will miss the start of the season through injury.
Meanwhile, the injuries picked up by Arnor Sigurdsson and Georgie Gent in training late last week will also have to be assessed.
Speaking after their 1-1 draw against Wigan Athletic, Eustace told Rovers official website: “Siggy’s injured. He got injured yesterday in training, so we’ll have a look at that. It’s a groin strain.
“Georgie has got shin splints. He got a kick on his shin yesterday as well, so he couldn’t play either.
“The most important thing was that we came through the two games without any injuries.
“You can see the squad’s quite thin, so if any of our senior players do come off the pitch it is a worry.”
Derby have a chance to start the season on a high
Blackburn against Derby is the curtain raiser for the Championship season, kicking off at 7:45 pm on Friday, 8th August.
The Rams will want to use last season’s promotion as momentum to start the campaign strongly.
Warne’s men finished second in League One and set a club record for most away wins in a single campaign (13) – the joint most in the division alongside Portsmouth.
With Blackburn playing a possession-based style, Derby will look to spring on the counter-attack, utilising the pace of Kayden Jackson, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and Corey Blackett-Taylor.
That could suit them down to the ground as it’s a strategy that worked in League One and against a depleted Rovers side, there’s a chance to begin their return to the Championship on a high.