John Eustace faces selection nightmare ahead of new Championship season, Derby County have a disaster brewing

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Derby County suffered their first defeat of pre-season on Saturday afternoon, as Burton Albion ran out 2-1 winners at the Pirelli Stadium.

The Rams had been behind for the majority of the clash in Staffordshire, until Corey Blackett-Taylor continued his form as he rolled the ball into the back of the net for the third time in four games in 2025/26.

However, it was the Brewers who took the Bass Charity Vase trophy, thanks to an excellent finish from Jake Beesley in the final 10 minutes.

Nevertheless, after signing Owen Beck on Friday, there are some positives for John Eustace and his Derby players. Although there is one new major concern after Matt Clarke was brought off the pitch very early on.

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Derby County are looking slim for options at centre-back

The Rams have been struggling with injuries throughout the summer, and they have been light at the back for a while. However, now Matt Clarke looks as though he could be out for a little bit of time.

The ex-Middlesbrough man came off the pitch in the first minutes of the game on Saturday, being replaced by veteran left-back Craig Forsyth, who can fill in at the heart of defence when needed.

Sondre Langas is still about a month away from being back to full fitness, with Curtis Nelson still recovering from an ACL injury that he sustained at the very start of the year.

If Clarke has done some substantial damage to himself, then Derby will be on the back foot heading into the new campaign, with Danny Batth and Forsyth both lacking pace at centre-back and this may mean that Eustace’s hand will be forced in the transfer market.

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John Eustace has to sign a new centre-back

Eustace has made no secret of the fact that the Rams need more signings before the first Championship fixtures of 2025/26.

Derby made a £1m bid for Bristol City’s Zak Vyner on Thursday, and it is clear to see that the East Midlands outfit remain keen on finding another centre-back.

This is a must for the Rams right now. It will take Nelson some time to get back up to speed after such a long time out of the team, while Clarke is somewhat of an unknown entity for now.

Batth is lacking pace, as well as Forsyth and the pair will be targeted by opposition defenders if Derby are forced to start the campaign with those two in the heart of their defence.