Derby County’s Under-23s will begin their 2017/18 Premier League 2 Division 1 campaign with a home meeting against Arsenal.
The Rams face the Gunners at St George’s Park on Monday 14th August, with kick-off scheduled for 7pm.
A tough start for Darren Wassall’s men will then see them travel to take on Chelsea on the Friday night (18th August), before they face Sunderland at Pride Park Stadium a week later – the first of seven Under-23s games already pencilled in to feature at Derby’s main stadium.
The Rams are scheduled to also face last season’s Premier League 2 champions Everton, Tottenham Hotspur, Leicester City, Manchester United, Manchester City and West Ham United at Pride Park over the course of the 2017/18 season.
The other home fixtures – against Liverpool, Chelsea and Swansea City – are down to be played at St George’s Park as it stands.
Notably, Wassall’s side have also got away trips to the Liberty Stadium, Goodison Park, King Power Stadium and Olympic Stadium to look forward to this coming campaign.
* Please note that these initial fixture dates are subject to change.
AUGUST
Monday 14th – Arsenal (H) SGP
Friday 18th – Chelsea (A)
Friday 25th – Sunderland (H) PPS
SEPTEMBER
Monday 11th – Swansea City (A)
Monday 18th – Everton (H) PPS
Friday 22nd – Manchester United (A)
OCTOBER
Monday 16th – Liverpool (H) SGP
Saturday 21st – Manchester City EDS (A)
Friday 27th – Tottenham Hotspur (H) PPS
NOVEMBER
Friday 17th – West Ham United (A)
Friday 24th – Leicester City (H) PPS
DECEMBER
Monday 11th – Chelsea (H) SGP
Friday 15th – Arsenal (A)
JANUARY
Sunday 7th – Sunderland (A)
Monday 15th – Swansea City (H) SGP
Sunday 28th – Liverpool (A)
FEBRUARY
Sunday 4th – Manchester United (H) PPS
Monday 19th – Everton (A)
MARCH
Friday 2nd – Tottenham Hotspur (A)
Friday 9th – Manchester City EDS (H) PPS
APRIL
Monday 16th – West Ham United (H) PPS
Monday 23rd – Leicester City (A)
The format for the competition will remain the same as last year.
There are 12 teams in Division 1 and 12 in Division 2, with every club playing each other once at home and once away
In Division 1, the team who finish first are crowned Champions.
The bottom two teams in Division 1 get relegated to Division 2.
In Division 2, the league winners get automatic promotion to Division 1. There is no relegation from Division 2.
Full fixture details for Derby’s Under-23s for the forthcoming season can be found here.