Lincoln City vs Derby County: League One Preview, Gameweek 8, 2022

Both sides return to action following the national postponement of last weekend’s fixtures as a sign of respect following the passing of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.

Lincoln are looking for their first home win of the season as they host Derby on Tuesday evening. The Imps have only won one game so far this season, which came against Oxford United on August 16. Since then, the Imps have only managed to earn one point from a possible 12.

The Rams on the other hand are still seeking their first away win in League One after losing once and drawing twice from their first three games away from Pride Park. Liam Rosenior’s side will be looking to put a disappointing result against Plymouth Argyle behind them with a victory on Tuesday night.

Team news

Lincoln

Joe Walsh is back for the Imps having made his first league appearance since April 4, as he was substituted on in his side’s 2-0 defeat to Cambridge United, having also featured in the Papa John’s Trophy a few days prior.

Derby

The Rams will welcome back captain Curtis Davies after the centre-half recovered from a quad muscle injury that had kept him out of action for the past month. James Chester is back in training for the Rams after returning from an Achilles problem which has delayed his first appearance since joining the club in the summer. Midfielder Korey Smith looks likely to miss out as he is struggling with a toe injury that kept him out of the defeat against Plymouth.

Predicted lineups

Lincoln (4-3-3)

Rushworth, Roughan, Poole, O’Connor, Eyoma, Oakley-Boothe, Sorensen, House, Scully, Hopper, Bishop

Derby (4-2-3-1)

Wildsmith, Roberts, Cashin, Davies, Knight, Bird, Hourihane, Barkhuizen, McGoldrick, Mendez-Laing, Collins

Key players

Teddy Bishop

Teddy Bishop has scored five goals in all competitions so far this season for the Imps which will make him one of the biggest threats against the Rams. Bishop has been deployed in various roles covering both wings and central midfield.

It is from the right-wing that his two league goals have come, as he netted a brace against Fleetwood Town to get a draw for his side. Although Bishop is the Imps' highest scorer this season, he has only played the full 90 minutes once in the league in six games.

James Collins

Having not scored in his first six league games, James Collins opened his account with a composed dink over Michael Cooper in the Rams’ 3-2 defeat against Plymouth. The forward will be looking to build on his first goal for the club when his side faces the Imps on Tuesday evening. Collins was also Derby’s highest-rated player in the defeat which earned him a place in the League One team of the week.