Paul Warne holds key Derby County boost before Stoke City clash with important injury respite

Add as preferred source on Google

Derby County boss Paul Warne will be looking to bring his squad back to winning ways during a week that includes some tough matches in the Championship.

The Rams have been mixed in their past three performances, which include two away games and one match at Pride Park.

A 1-1 draw at Millwall was proceeded by another 1-1 draw at Oxford United – notching up the first two points on the road this season for Derby.

A return to home comforts followed against Hull City, where yet another 1-1 draw played out between the two sides.

While it takes the side to four games unbeaten, there is a sense of frustration that they didn’t pick up at least one win over that period.

Attention now turns back to another key week or so before the international break, which includes another two away trips before returning home.

As a few injury troubles have stacked up for Paul Warne, he will be glad to have a clear midweek to prepare.

• READ MORE: Curtis Davies shares what Phillip Cocu told him privately after he was sacked by Derby County

Derby County boost over Stoke City before Championship clash

While Derby have a free week to prepare for the short trip to Staffordshire over the weekend, the same can’t be said of their opponents.

Stoke City, who will host the Rams in an early kick-off on Saturday, won’t have full focus on the weekend’s clash until later on.

That’s because the Potters are still involved in the EFL Cup, where they make the trip to Southampton on Tuesday night.

With a place in the quarter-finals of the competition up for grabs, it is unlikely that a weak team is put out by the side.

New boss Narcis Pelach will be looking to make an impression, which could take something out of his players before the Championship match on Saturday.

Stoke currently have two main injury concerns in striker Sam Gallagher and former Sunderland man Lynden Gooch.

• READ MORE: Paul Warne could unearth Derby County’s next Dajaune Brown in ‘excellent’ academy teenager

Derby County injury concerns and workload

As it stands, Derby only have a few key injury concerns, but they are important enough for the manager to be concerned about his squad.

Ryan Nyambe is set for four-to-six months on the sidelines with a knee injury, while Tawanda Chirewa is facing two months out with a freak thigh issue.

Despite nearing a return to action, David Ozoh is expected to miss at least the next three games through a setback in his recovery from a hamstring issue.

There is slightly more positive news in that Tom Barkhuizen, Liam Thompson, Jake Rooney and Conor Washington are closing down on being back to fitness.

Meanwhile, a free midweek will help Warne manage the workload of Ben Osborn, who has suffered from several small issues since joining the club.

That will provide some much-needed respite before another big week of action.