Derby County turn their attention to the EFL Trophy this evening as Paul Warne’s side host Bradford City at Pride Park.
It’s all looking rosy for Derby in League One.
Despite rumours continuing to link star players Max Bird and Eiran Cashin with moves away from the club, the Rams are flying in the third tier.
After securing a comfortable 3-1 victory over Fleetwood Town on Saturday, Paul Warne’s side are now dangerously close to breaking into the top two.
Warne’s troops are two points behind the automatic promotion places and four adrift of first place Portsmouth, who they have a game in hand over.
In that emphatic victory against the Cod Army, Derby showcased their dominance at the top end of the pitch as Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, James Collins and Tom Barkhuizen got on the score sheet.
That win extended the Rams exceptional record to just one defeat in 12 league matches and ensured that they arrive into their fixture against Bradford City this evening full of confidence.
With a place in the EFL Trophy quarter-finals at stake, Derby will fancy their chances against the Bantams, who are 14th in League Two.
Ahead of this fixture, Warne could make wholesale changes to the side that won on Saturday, perhaps giving Mendez-Laing and Collins a rest while throwing Barkhuizen into the mix.
Why Warne must unleash Tom Barkhuizen against Bradford City
Although the Derby staff and players want to glean silverware in this competition, this match presents an opportunity to give some of their squad players a chance to shine.
While Barkhuizen has been regularly involved throughout this campaign having featured 19 times in the league, he’s also played in all but one EFL Trophy fixture, scoring in the 2-0 win over Lincoln City.
The 30-year-old can play anywhere across the front and has more often than not made an impact when given a chance.
Indeed, Barkhuizen has proven to be an incredible super-sub this term, recording five of his eight goal contributions in League One from the bench.
In this fixture, however, Warne will need all of his experienced heads to rise to the occasion and the former Preston forward is certainly high on that list.
Since arriving from the Lancashire side in the summer of 2022, he’s made quite the impact and he’s been hailed by journalist Lee Curtis for his ‘super’ performances, providing lots of energy and dynamism.
Barkhuizen is an underrated piece of Warne’s promotion puzzle but his importance can’t be underestimated and he can show that against Bradford tonight.