Derby County vs Preston North End early team and injury news with seven ruled out and three doubtful

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Rejoice, the international break is almost over, and Derby County are back in action this weekend with a trip to Preston North End, but Paul Warne does have some injuries to worry about ahead of the game.

Derby County went into the break on the back of a 1-1 draw with Plymouth Argyle, and it says a lot about the Rams’ season so far that the point was a fairly disappointing one.

Paul Warne has led his side to 12th place in the Championship table after 15 games, but Derby are technically closer to the drop zone than they are the play-offs.

The next few games are crucial for Derby if they want to pull away from the relegation battle and establish themselves in a comfortable position this term.

Up next is a trip to Deepdale to face Preston, who are four points and eight places behind the Rams right now.

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Paul Warne missing two players for Derby County away day

Ahead of the upcoming fixture, we know that Warne will definitely be without both Ryan Nyambe and Tawanda Chirewa, with the pair out with long-term injuries.

Nyambe suffered a serious knee injury in the game against Millwall a month ago, and is facing up to six months on the sidelines.

Chirewa, meanwhile, is expected to be absent until the middle of December with a thigh issue, after what Paul Warne described as a ‘freak’ injury.

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David Ozoh and Callum Elder could return

However, Warne could be buoyed by the return of two key players, with David Ozoh and Callum Elder both very close to full fitness.

Ozoh suffered a hamstring injury in the win over Cardiff City back in September, and there is a very real possibility he will be back in the Derby County lineup for the Preston game.

As for Elder, the Australian full-back has been in and out of the side with injuries this season, but is scheduled to return before the end of the month.

Preston North End hit with plenty of injuries

Derby’s next opponents are struggling with injuries to a far greater degree right now, with four players unlikely to feature on Saturday, another doubtful, and one more suspended, too.

Preston boss Paul Heckingbottom is set to be without Robbie Brady (ankle injury), Patrick Bauer (elbow injury), Will Keane (tendons), and Ched Evans, who has suffered a muscular strain.

Meanwhile, Milutin Osmajic still has one game left of his eight-game suspension, picked up for biting Blackburn Rovers defender, Owen Beck.

The sole positive for Heckingbottom is that Liam Lindsay is only a doubt for the game, and could find his way into the matchday squad if he gets through the rest of this week without any issues.

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Ebou Adams at risk of suspension

There is one other factor Paul Warne has to consider for the Preston game, and indeed the next few fixtures, and that is the disciplinary record of Ebou Adams.

While Adams leads the way across England’s top four leagues when it comes to tackles and interceptions, he will have to be extra careful when diving into his next challenge, as one more yellow card will see him earn a one-game suspension.

In fact, Adams needs to survive to game week 19 without another booking, when tallies will be reset for the next phase of the season.