David Wright could return to the Town side for Sunday's trip to Pride Park after recovering from his hamstring injury. Wright is likely to come into the side for Moritz Volz, who picked up a knock in the second half against Birmingham.

Wright is expected to take up his preferred right-back role with Ben Thatcher on the left of the defence. Iván Campo is likely to have done enough during the Birmingham game to keep his place alongside Gareth McAuley in middle, the Spaniard's inclusion allowing the Northern Irishman to play on his preferred right side of the centre of defence. Alex Bruce serves the final game of his four-match ban.

Danny Haynes limped off with what is now said to be an ankle injury on Friday and could well miss out. That will probably see Jon Walters return to the right.

Boss Jim Magilton could make other changes to the midfield depending on fitness and health. Owen Garvan missed the Birmingham game due to a stomach bug and probably won't be ready to return to the starting line-up against the Rams.

Magilton seems to have been happy with the central midfield three – Alan Quinn, David Norris and Tommy Miller – that he has used in the last two matches and could well go with the 4-5-1/4-3-3 formation once again: "We have one or two lads who are carrying knocks but we will wait and see and have a look on the day.

"I can see a lot of things working at Pride Park, but what we have to do is look at the body count and then look at what shape we go.

"Against Birmingham, our midfield three looked good, but at times were sloppy in possession.

"We gifted them ball and they gave it back to us and we gave it back again, so we really needed someone to take the game by the scruff of the neck.”

Veliche Shumulikoski and Darren Ambrose will be hoping for recalls after missing out in recent weeks having previously been regulars.

Kevin Lisbie is likely to continue as a lone central striker with Jon Stead on the left. The former Sheffield United man started in the wide role against Birmingham but moved up alongside Lisbie when the Blues switched to 4-4-2.

Derby, who currently sit in 18th place on 29 points, five places and three points behind the Blues, have goalkeeper Roy Carroll back in the fold after a two-week internal suspension following a row with manager Paul Jewell. However, the former Manchester United man was not involved on Boxing Day because he feels he needs a week's training in order to sharpen up after his enforced break.

Midfielder Paul Green was back in the starting line-up during the 2-0 Boxing Day defeat at Preston after a finger injury and winger Steve Davies returned to the bench after suffering a fractured eye-socket, broken cheekbone and undergoing a hernia operation.

Skipper Paul Connolly is out of action for around a month with a knee injury, while central defender Claude Davis has only just returned to training after a hamstring injury he sustained at Portman Road earlier in the season.

Town narrowly have the edge over the Rams historically, winning 26 times (24 in the league), drawing 18 (16) and losing 22 (21).

The Blues won the Portman Road clash 2-0 in November with Pablo Couñago and Jon Walters netting the goals.

The sides last met at Pride Park in 2006/07 with the Rams winning 2-1. Steve Howard and Arturo Lupoli, now with Norwich, scored the home side's goals, Gary Roberts having netted for the Blues. Town loanee Simon Walton was sent off just before the hour mark.

Current Derby players Stephen Bywater and Jay McEveley, currently on loan with Charlton, both spent time on loan with the Blues, while keeper Lewis Price moved from Portman Road to Pride Park in the summer of 2007.

Jon Stead spent three months on loan at Pride Park between October 2006 and January 2007, scoring three goals in 15 starts and two sub appearances. Fellow frontman Kevin Lisbie was also a Ram for a three-month loan spell between February and May 2006, scoring once in seven games.

Town defender David Wright was a member of Paul Jewell's Wigan side which pipped the Blues to promotion to the Premier League in 2004/05.

Sunday's referee is Keith Stroud from Hampshire, who has shown 56 yellow and three red cards in 17 games so far this season. Stroud's last Town match was the 1-1 home draw with Stoke in January.

Likely squad: R Wright, Supple, D Wright, Thatcher, Balkestein, McAuley, Campo, Naylor, Norris, Quinn, Miller, Shumulikoski, Garvan, Ambrose, Walters, Stead, Lisbie, Couñago.

Photo: Action Images

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