The Rams need to find a resurgence in form following the international break, with many of the players getting a much-needed rest after a tough season on and off the pitch.

Preston North End will be aiming to have a late push for the play-off places with a victory over the Rams on Saturday, although the Lilywhites need many fixtures to go in their favour if they are to achieve a top-six finish this season.

  • Team news

Derby

Derby County will still be without Colin Kazim-Richards as the forward is expected to miss the rest of the season with an ankle injury. Ravel Morrison is a doubt for the fixture as the midfielder is away on international duty with Jamaica and is not set to return until Friday.

Preston

Declan Rudd announced his retirement this past week following a knee injury that required several surgeries. Ryan Ledson and Tom Barkhuizen are both unavailable for the Lilywhites. However, Greg Cunningham could feature having not played since February after training all week.

  • Predicted lineups

Derby (4-3-3)

Allsop, Buchanan, Cashin, Davies, Byrne, Bird, Bielik, Knight, Lawrence, Plange, Ebiowei

Preston (3-5-2)

Iversen, Hughes, Diaby, Van Den Berg, Potts, Johnson, Whiteman, Browne, McCann, Archer, Jakobsen

  • Form Guide

Derby – LWLLD

The Rams drew their last fixture 1-1 before the international break against Coventry City at Pride Park. The draw saw Derby fall eight points behind 21st placed Reading. Being winless in their last three matches has put pressure on the Rams with games running out as the relegation battle heats up.

Preston – DDWDL

The Lilywhites were unbeaten in four until their heavy defeat to Luton Town before the break. Amongst the unbeaten run was a notable victory against second-placed Bournemouth thanks to Emil Riis Jakobsen’s late winner. Preston are currently 10 points off Blackburn Rovers who currently sit sixth in the league, the last play-off place.

  • Ones to watch  

Malcolm Ebiowei

The 18-year-old has broken onto the scene at Derby this season, becoming one of the standout players in recent games. Malcolm Ebiowei earned himself the man of the match award for his performance against Coventry in his side's 1-1 draw. Despite not finding the net yet, Ebiowei has looked threatening for the Rams, going close to opening his account on multiple occasions.

Emil Riis Jakobsen

The Danish forward has been the Lilywhites’ main source of goals this season having scored 17 times this season, with 13 of those coming in the league. Despite suffering somewhat of a goal drought before his late winner against Bournemouth, the threat that the forward possesses can not be underestimated.

  • Previous meetings

Derby have not beaten Preston in their last four meetings, losing three of the encounters. The most recent fixture between the two sides was a 0-0 draw on October 16, 2021, at Deepdale.

  • How to watch

The game will not be available to watch in the UK, however, viewers overseas will be able to catch the action live on RamsTV of the iFollow app. Highlights will be shown on social media the following day or on Quest at 21:00 BST.

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