Derby County will continue their preparations for the 2016/17 Sky Bet Championship season with a pre-season friendly away to League 1 side Walsall this afternoon (3pm).

Nigel Pearson’s squad, who returned from their week-long pre-season tour of Portugal on Wednesday, will take on the Saddlers at the Banks’s Stadium in what is their first friendly game on British soil ahead of the new campaign.





The Rams took on Portuguese giants Benfica whilst in Portugal, with last season’s Champions League quarter finalists running out 4-0 winners to lift the Algarve Football Cup last Saturday.







Walsall, who missed out on promotion last season in the final day of the campaign through the automatic route and then through the play-offs soon afterwards, will provide a stern test for the Rams.





Defender Jason Shackell is expected to feature after missing the game against Benfica as a precaution after picking up a slight a calf injury earlier in pre-season, while Richard Keogh, Jeff Hendrick, Cyrus Christie and Chris Baird could play some part.





The quartet reported back for training on Thursday after being given time off after representing their countries in Euro 2016 during June.







Jamie Hanson and Abdoul Camara also missed the Benfica game but are unlikely to feature as they edger closer to full fitness, while long-term injury victim George Thorne (double leg fracture) remains out of action.





Live updates from the game can be found on Twitter (@dcfcofficial) – while a full match report and reaction will be on dcfc.co.uk and Rams Player HD after the game.





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