Chesterfield and Derby County step up their pre-season preparations with a friendly at the SMH Group Stadium on Wednesday evening.
While the home side are hoping to put together a promotion campaign in League Two, Derby will be satisfied with survival in the Championship during 2024-25.
Match preview
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Paul Warne was part of a yo-yo club in Rotherham United before his stint with Derby, the Millers having constantly switched between the second and third tiers.
Avoiding that scenario will be his aim for 2024-25 and he will be satisfied with the Rams collecting two victories from three friendly outings thus far.
Although a 3-1 reverse was suffered against Academico Viseu, Derby were able to come through by 3-0 and 1-0 scorelines against Matlock Town and Stockport County.
The game versus the latter was played with three 30-minute periods, with Sonny Bradley netting in the final minute of the third period to secure success for his side.
An array of players have already arrived at Pride Park - the latest being midfielder Ebou Adams who has been signed from Cardiff City.
Chesterfield boss Paul Cook will also be delighted with his club's transfer activity, particularly with getting Lewis Gordon, Cheyenne Dunkley and Paddy Madden through the door.
All three players would not have looked out of place in League One and it highlights the ambition of the Spireites after winning the National League title.
Workouts have already come against Nottingham Forest and Sheffield United, Chesterfield losing by 3-0 scorelines in each of those encounters.
The solitary win in four matches came away at Alfreton Town, where they prevailed 2-1, and Cook will hope to see more from his team in a contest in which they will expect to be competitive.
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Team News
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With Derby's last match played in an unusual format, it remains unclear how Warne will choose to line up on the team's return from Spain.
One scenario is Warne opting for two separate sides in each half given the workload that his players got through on their pre-season tour.
As well as Adams, who made his debut last time out, the likes of Corey Blackett-Taylor, Kenzo Goudmijn and Jerry Yates will all be in contention to start.
Meanwhile, Madden should start for Chesterfield, providing that he is fully fit, having only featured for 45 minutes last time out.
Many of the other squad members got at least 68 minutes in the tank, something which may influence Cook with this game taking place just four days later.
We say: Chesterfield 1-3 Derby County
This should be a competitive contest between two well-backed sides. However, although Chesterfield may fare better than they have against other better-quality sides earlier in the month, we are still backing Derby to come out on top.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Darren Plant
