The 11 players set to miss Derby County v Birmingham City ft £4m ace | OneFootball

The Rams and Blues will be without some key players for Saturday's crucial contest

Derby County and Birmingham City are preparing to lock horns in an all-Midlands affair on Saturday lunchtime, in a game which could have major implications on how the two clubs' seasons play out from here on in.

The Rams and Blues played out a fiesty 1-1 draw against each other at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park on Boxing Day, with Jack Robinson cancelling out Patrick Agyemang's first-half opener, whilst Christoph Klarer and Joe Ward were both dismissed.

John Eustace's team are currently better placed in the Championship play-off race at this moment in time, though, and victory against his former club could see Derby go level on points with Southampton and Wrexham heading into the final international break of the campaign.

Meanwhile, Chris Davies will hope Birmingham can address their largely poor away form and close the gap on the top six, ensuring the final weeks of their campaign are to remain interesting.

However, both he and Eustace will be without some key players for this crucial showdown. With that in mind, FLW have looked at the 11 who fall into said category and their respective situations.

Derby County

Jacob Widell Zetterstrom

The first of nine absentees for the Rams is also one of two unavailable goalkeepers, Jacob Widell Zetterstrom.

Zetterstrom has been out of action since the 1-1 draw with West Bromwich Albion on January 23rd after sustaining a virus, and he is yet to return to full training as he attempts to make a swift, yet successful recovery.

Eustace recently revealed that the Sweden international had appeared to be edging closer to a recovery, but has suffered setbacks, which have been a recurring theme of his absence.

Josh Vickers

Josh Vickers will also not be keeping goal for the Rams, after the 30-year-old sustained a groin issue in the 1-0 defeat at Millwall on March 10th.

The initial prognosis was that the shot-stopper would be sidelined for six to eight weeks as a result, with Richard O'Donnell subsequently named as the current 'number one' in Monday's 1-0 win at Portsmouth.

Max Johnston

Next up is Scotland international right-back, Max Johnston, who hasn't featured since October 25th and remains on the treatment table.

After initially being sidelined with a hamstring injury, the 22-year-old's hopes of a quicker return were hampered when he sustained a calf issue in his recovery process.

Sondre Langas

Another key absentee for this clash is set to be the £4m signing of last January, Sondre Langas.

The centre-back has been a colossal figure whenever available for the Rams, but he has missed the last nine Championship matches with a hamstring issue.

"Fingers crossed, he'll be with us just after the international break," Eustace recently told club media in a positive update.

Danny Batth

Derby are also likely to be without the experience of Danny Batth for this clash.

The ex-Wolves man has been absent since February 21st in the 2-0 defeat against Watford and could return sooner rather than later, with the root cause of his absence coming through a calf strain.

Callum Elder

Callum Elder is one defender who is certainly ruled out from this particular match, though.

It was revealed by Eustace earlier in the month that the left-back, who is also out-of-contract at Pride Park on June 30th, would miss at least five to six weeks' worth of action after undergoing knee surgery.

Liam Thompson

Liam Thompson has had a stop-start campaign as a result of injuries, with his current spell on the sidelines with a calf issue coming after a knee problem which kept him out in the autumn.

Like many of his colleagues, though, there is hope that the academy graduate isn't too far away from returning to first-team action as the season draws to a close.

Lars-Jorgen Salvesen

This encounter may have also come too early for Norwegian striker, Lars-Jorgen Salvesen.

The 30-year-old has scored three times in the Championship so far this term, but has been absent for just over a month with a muscle injury.

However, Eustace revealed earlier in the month that the forward would hopefully be back and fully integrated within the group on the training pitch after ramping up his individual recovery.

Birmingham City

Alex Cochrane

Meanwhile, all of Blues' absentees come at left-back, with the first of those being Alex Cochrane.

After spending the majority of his first season at St. Andrew's as first-choice, the 25-year-old's current season has been plagued by injuries, although he could return to action from a current ankle setback next month.

Lee Buchanan

Lee Buchanan's recovery from a serious ACL issue has been far more drawn-out, though, and it remains to be seen if the ex-Derby man will feature competitively for Birmingham this season.

Davies revealed towards the end of February that the defender's progress still needs to be monitored with a sense of caution.

“It’s early steps. With Lee, it’s about trying to string it together for a consistent period of time," said the Blues boss.

Kai Wagner

January signing and fellow full-back, Kai Wagner, is also set to sit this game out after sustaining a blow to the shoulder against Charlton Athletic on March 7th.

Davies explained later that week, after his omission against Queens Park Rangers, that the German is likely to be absent until after the international break.

“Kai got a knock and it looks like it’s going to rule him out for a few weeks which is disappointing," he stated.