Derby County Under-23s have the chance to move back up to third position in Premier League 2 - Division 1 tonight but face a tough clash against fourth-placed Arsenal (7pm kick-off).
The Rams make the long trip to Boreham Wood to take on Freddie Ljungberg’s Gunners and they know a win could see them leapfrog Liverpool into third spot.
However, a win for Arsenal will see them move ahead of Derby County with the Rams dropping to fifth, so it’s all to play for.
Darren Wassall’s side will be buoyed from the reverse fixture back in November where his side ran riot over the Gunners.
It was a fiery encounter as the Rams finished with 10 men and Arsenal finished with nine.
George Thorne opened the scoring from the penalty spot to give Wassall’s side a half-time lead, whilst Cameron Cresswell doubled their lead just after the break.
Thorne would then see red, as would Arsenal’s Jordi Osei-Tutu following an altercation, whilst on the hour mark, Danny Ballard was dismissed.
From that moment on, the Rams ran riot. A Further goal from Jason Knight and a brace from Louie Sibley saw Derby record one of their finest victories. However, tonight will be a different prospect to the one in November.
Arsenal are in good form and are unbeaten in their last six games. They have beaten Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur convincingly whilst also holding league-leaders Everton to a goalless draw.
The Rams will be looking for a reaction following their exit from the Premier League Cup at the Quarter Final stage. They were beaten 3-2 by Newcastle United after extra time last week on a cruel afternoon.
Speaking ahead of the game, Wassall said: “We want to finish the season strongly and we have three great games coming up. The motivation should be that the players want to finish on a high and maintain their consistent performances that they have put in throughout the season.
“Arsenal have a great history and they won’t want to accept the defeat from earlier in the season so we are expecting a really tough game. They will want to get their revenge from the performance we put in against them.”
Full-back Kellan Gordon added: “We need to get as many points on the board as we can and finish the season as high as possible.
“I’m expecting Arsenal to be a good side; they always are. They are a decent side, but we have been playing well and I’m sure if we put on a performance then we can go there and get the three points.”
Tonight’s game will be available to view on RamsTV and supporters will be able to watch FREE of charge. For full details, please click here.