The 11 players set to miss Derby County vs Birmingham City ft £5.8m international | OneFootball

Football League World has taken a look at the 11 players set to miss Derby County's home clash with Birmingham City this weekend

Derby County host Birmingham City at Pride Park on Saturday for a midday kick-off, as both clubs will be desperately hoping to get back to winning ways in this Midlands clash, with the pressure mounting on both head coaches.

Derby County take on Birmingham at Pride Park for a 12:30 pm kick-off in the Championship, as both sides will be looking to get back to winning ways.

Derby have not endured the start to the season that they would have been hoping for, and maybe somewhat expecting after a strong end to last year, winning just one of their opening six league games.

John Eustace, as we will come to learn, has had to contend with numerous injury woes which won't have helped his case, but regardless of that, the former Birmingham and Blackburn Rovers head coach must turn Derby's form around sooner rather than later for his own good, with his former side presenting his next opportunity to do so.

Birmingham, meanwhile, also have just one win from their opening six games, though, with four draws, have been defeated just once, as Davies looks to get some more points on the board sooner rather than later, as FLW has taken a look at the 11 players set to miss this clash.

Rhian Brewster

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In Derby's defeat against West Ham United, Eustace was forced to withdraw Rhian Brewster midway through the first half after suffering a blow to the head, which made him feel "sick and a bit dizzy."

In turn, he has been forced to miss at least the next two games due to a concussion protocol, and having missed the game against West Bromwich Albion, he will also be unavailable for this one.

Craig Forsyth

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Veteran left-back Craig Forsyth was forced off with a knee injury in the latter stages of the Rams' away victory over Portsmouth at the beginning of the month.

As a result, the 37-year-old will miss at least the next two months and is due to undergo surgery to resolve this issue, making him absent for Derby's clash with Birmingham.

Matt Clarke

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Centre-back Matt Clarke suffered a calf injury against Lincoln City in the League Cup at the start of the campaign, which will see him sidelined until at least November.

The former Pompey and Middlesbrough defender will be a big miss for Eustace's side, especially with defensive injuries compiling in the squad.

Lewis Travis

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Rams captain Lewis Travis has missed the last three league games after coming off late in the defeat against Swansea City.

Talking ahead of the meeting with West Ham last weekend, Eustace revealed that the damage wasn't as severe as they first thought, but the 28-year-old will still be out for around a month.

Patrick Agyemang

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USMNT forward Patrick Agyemang continues his road to recovery from the devastating Achilles injury he picked up back in April against Stoke City, which ruled him out of his home World Cup and the opening stages of this season.

The 25-year-old won't be back until at least December, as Derby surely can't wait to have him back and available to pick from.

Derry Murkin

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English left-back Derry Murkin joined Derby from Dutch side FC Utrecht in January 2026 and has been sidelined since April, having needed to undergo minor back surgery.

Murkin had been recovering throughout pre-season, but has since damaged his hamstring and will be out for the next four months.

Taylor Gardner-Hickman

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Onto Birmingham City, as versatile midfielder Taylor Gardner-Hickman, who spent last season on loan with Blackburn Rovers, picked up an injury against Burton Albion in mid-July.

The 25-year-old is hoped to return to training during the upcoming international break, and is expected to miss out on this fixture.

Marc Leonard

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Scottish midfielder Marc Leonard is expected to be out of action until the turn of 2027 following a ruptured Achilles sustained in the final stages of his loan spell with Hearts back in May.

As a result, he has also been omitted from Davies' 25-man squad for the Championship campaign, and upon his return to fitness, could be brought back into the fold, but will play no part in this clash.

Max Bird

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Joining Blues from Bristol City in the summer, Max Bird made his debut as a substitute against Sheffield United three weeks ago, but has been sidelined since.

Bird came through the ranks at Derby, making just shy of 200 appearances across all competitions for the Rams, but with the 25-year-old suffering a lower leg issue, he is not expected to return until after the international break.

Jhon Solis

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Colombian midfielder Jhon Solis joined Birmingham in January 2026 on loan from Spanish side Girona, and has since made his move to St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park permanent for around £6 million.

After sustaining a knock in the Blues' 1-1 draw with Southampton on September 1st, Davies said: "He’s going to be a week to 10 days we think. We’ll just have to see how he goes day by day."

He could well return for this one, but at this stage, he remains a doubt.