Paul Heckingbottom’s side head to Pride Park on Wednesday
Preston North End will have to put their FA Cup quarter-final disappointment aside as they face Derby County this evening.
There’s no time to dwell on Sunday’s defeat to Aston Villa, which saw Paul Heckingbottom’s men’s excellent run in the competition come to an end. Attention turns back to Championship proceedings tonight as the Lilywhites make the trip to face the relegation-scrapping Rams at Pride Park.
North End are playing catch-up with the rest of the division, who were in action over the weekend while Preston were in FA Cup action. Despite this, Heckingbottom’s troops remain 14th in the standings – a win against John Eustace’s side tonight would close the gap to Millwall in 13th.
Standing in the way of three points are the Rams, who are on an impressive resurgence under their new head coach. With Eustace at the helm, Derby have won all three of their previous three Championship contests as they continue their fight for survival. Here’s the latest team news from both camps ahead of what promises to be an exciting evening in store at Pride Park.
Derby County team news
Corey Blackett-Taylor – Out
The winger has been out since January after sustaining a hamstring injury and is expected to miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery.
Dajaune Brown – Out
Like Blackett-Taylor, Brown is set to be sidelined for the remainder of the campaign after an operation on a hamstring issue in January.
Curtis Nelson – Out
The defender will miss the rest of the term due to a knee injury sustained during the defeat to Watford in January.
Ben Osborn – Out
Osborn was given a timescale of eight weeks in early March before he’d return to Eustace’s side from a hamstring problem. It doesn’t look likely the midfielder will feature again this season.
Lars-Jorgen Salvesen – Out
The Norwegian underwent surgery in early March on a knee injury and has been another Rams player to be ruled out for the remainder of the campaign.
David Ozoh – Out
The Crystal Palace loanee suffered a season-ending thigh issue in February and has subsequently returned to Selhurst Park to continue his recovery.
Nathaniel Mendez-Laing – Doubt
The 32-year-old has missed the Rams’ three successive victories before the international break due to a knee injury but looks likely to return to the squad for this evening’s contest.
Ryan Nyambe – Doubt
Nyambe sustained a minor setback in the warm-ups against Plymouth before the two-week stoppage but it remains to be seen if the slight muscle injury is enough to keep him out for tonight.
Preston North End team news
Ali McCann – Out
McCann has featured 28 times this term for North End but will miss the trip to Pride Park as he continues his recovery from a calf issue.
Freddie Woodman – Out
The keeper sustained a season-ending ankle injury last week in training and missed Sunday’s crucial cup game against Villa. It appears unlikely Woodman will feature again this term.
Jack Whatmough – Out
A calf problem has seen the centre-back sidelined since January and he looks set to miss the rest of the 2024/25 season.
Sam Greenwood – Out
Greenwood is still suspended having missed Sunday’s FA Cup contest. The loanee picked up his second red card of the campaign against Portsmouth before the international break.
Brad Potts – Out
Heckingbottom confirmed that the midfielder will be out for a while longer with the hamstring injury suffered at Sunderland, but he could return before the end of the campaign.
