Josh Barnes says Real Union will pose Derby County’s Under-23s a different challenge in terms of atmosphere and tactics when the two sides meet in the inaugural Steve Bloomer Trophy match tonight.
Darren Wassall’s Rams travelled out to Irun in Northern Spain on Sunday for a three-day training camp ahead of their meeting with the Segunda División B side at their Stadium Gal home (kick-off: 7pm BST).
Derby’s young team prepared for the match by training at Real Sociedad’s state-of-the art Zubieta Training Ground on Monday morning.
In recent years, Wassall’s side have been given European exposure in the form of training camps and matches against similar age groups in Valencia and Lisbon.
What will be different on this occasion, however, is that the Rams will be coming up against a senior side that is battling towards the top end of Segunda División B – Group 2 (the third tier of Spanish football) this evening.
And that is a challenge that Barnes is really looking forward to.
He told RamsTV ahead of the game: “The facilities are a bit different here compared to back home. These are really impressive.
“We have been to Valencia and Lisbon for training camps in recent years and from that we feel as though we have got an idea about what to expect.
“It’s brilliant that we have got the link that we have a club like Real Union. Personally, I’m expecting them to be physical.
“They’re a senior team, compared to our young squad who are still learning so from that perspective you would expect it to be tough.
“They will provide a completely different atmosphere and different tactics to what we are used to. There should be a few more people there too.
“On top of that, it’s a great test for us during the international break at a time when all the other teams are resting. Hopefully this will benefit us in the long run.”
