Here’s is the selection that I think Jan Siewert will go with to take on Debry tonight. I’m usually pretty hopeless at accurately predicting lineups, so I wouldn’t hold too much stock in what you read below. With that disclaimer in mind, here’s my prediction:

Goalkeeper: Grabara

The massive keeper comes on loan from Liverpool with quite a lot of hype but not a lot of experience. He looked very good in the short amount of time I saw him during preseason and could be a key player for Town this season.

Watch out for his kicking, as it’s rumoured he can pick players out accurately deep in the opposition half. If this is true then I suspect we’ll try and use this long, flat kicks to launch counter attacks.

Defence: Kongolo, Schindler, Elphick, Hadergjonaj

I think I’d prefer to see Kongolo in central defence as his tackling ability and speed saved Town many times last season. He’s good as a left-back but I think he’s at his best centrally. The reality is that Town have two high-quality central defenders in Elphick and Schindler but lack quality on the left side of defence without Kongolo, so that’s how we’re likely to lineup.

Hadergjonaj feels like the weak link in that back four but he had a pretty decent preseason and deserves a chance to stake a claim for the right-back slot. I just hope he’s stopped his habit of going down easily and rolling around on the floor to try and win free kicks.

Midfield: Hogg, Mooy, Bacuna

Hogg is likely to be the deepest of our midfield trio while Mooy and Bacuna will be given licence to charge forward to both break up Derby’s possession and to support Town’s attackers when we have the ball.

Mooy was absolutely class in his last season in the Championship and if Town fans are being honest, he’s probably too good to be playing at this level. If we can keep hold of him then I’d hope to see more commanding performances from him in the centre of the pitch.

Bacuna stood out in preseason as one of our most dynamic midfielders and will add bite to this area of the pitch. He’s still young and makes the odd mistake but he’s capable of producing moments of quality too.

Attack: Diakhaby, Grant, Pritchard

There are a lot of players in Town’s squad that can play in these positions, but I’m predicting these three will get the nod tonight because they looked most dangerous in preseason. Karlan Grant is our biggest goal threat, Pritchard can cut in and cause problems with his skill and shooting ability and Diakhaby is amazingly quick (even if his first touch makes him look like he’s playing in wellies).

Other players that might have a chance of being selected

Schofield – Grabara only played a single game of Town’s public-facing preseason friendlies, so Siewert may still not feel comfortable that he knows the system well enough to start the first game. Schofield did a good job when he played and his loan spell last season gave him some much-needed experience.

O’Brien – Another Town youngster that has come back from loan looking better, he may be given a go in the centre of the field. He’s great at pressing the opposition into mistakes and can drive forward with the ball at his feet when attacking, so he could be useful tonight.

van La Parra – Still a Marmite figure among Town fans, but even those that don’t rate him will have been impressed by the screamer he scored against Doncaster. He may be preferred to Pritchard on the left side of the attacking trident.