Derby without Ravel Morrison for Birmingham clash

Posted Friday, January 28, 2022 by PA

Derby will be without midfielder Ravel Morrison for Sunday’s Sky Bet Championship match against Birmingham.

Morrison was shown a red card in injury time of the 2-1 defeat at East Midlands rivals Nottingham Forest, so serves a domestic suspension, but he has since been called up by Jamaica for their World Cup qualifiers.

Poland international Krystian Bielik (knee) could be back in contention for the first time in just under a year following his ACL injury, having featured for the Rams’ under-23s last week.

Teenage defender Dylan Williams has joined Chelsea in a permanent move, while Jordan Brown has signed for League Two club Leyton Orient.

Birmingham could hand debuts to new signings Lyle Taylor and Juninho Bacuna.

Striker Taylor has joined on loan from Forest for the remainder of the season, while Dutch midfielder Bacuna joins on a three-and-a-half-year deal after moving from Scottish Premiership champions Rangers for an undisclosed fee.

Midfielder Gary Gardner is pressing for a start after coming off the bench to score a late goal as Blues fought back to draw 2-2 against Peterborough on Tuesday night.

Forward Troy Deeney (hip), Marcel Oakley (ankle), Ivan Sanchez (leg) and Adan George (ACL) continue their recovery, while veteran defender Harlee Dean has joined Sheffield Wednesday on a loan.