A change in midfield in Derby County predicted XI vs Port Vale

Derby County's next challenge comes in the form of 19th placed Port Vale. The Rams look to make it four league wins in a row if they are victorious.

Paul Warne's side come off the back of a 2-1 win over Bristol Rovers at the weekend where they had to rely on a late winner from Nathaniel Mendez-Laing to pick up the three points.

They head to Vale Park in sixth place just eight points away from league leaders Bolton Wanderers hoping that a win this evening will help to push them further into the playoffs.

With a few injury doubts heading into the game, Paul Warne will have to make some tough choices on his starting XI, here is the predicted line up for tonight.

Formation - 4-3-2-1

Goalkeeper: Joe Wildsmith

Joe Wildsmith failed to keep a clean sheet against Bristol Rovers on Saturday, however he did still make a number of saves and also caught the ball on dangerous crosses a number of times.

The Rams' shotstopper will look to continue his good season tonight.

Left back: Craig Forsyth

Craig Forsyth was an unusual absence on Saturday afternoon as he didn't even make the bench. However there hasn't been any idication that he is injured and he isn't suspended. So it is safe to assume he was being rested and should return again tonight.

Centre back: Eiran Cashin

Cashin was by far one of the Rams' best performers on Tuesday night. The young centre back put in a shed-load of tackles and also helped with his side's transition play by making a few crucial forward passes.

His hard work has been paying off and he is a mainstay in the starting XI.

Centre back: Curtis Nelson

Curtis Nelson was fairly quiet on Saturday afternoon possibly due to the stand out performance of his centre back partner. But he has been fantastic recently and will keep his spot in the starting XI here.

Right back: Ryan Nyambe

Ryan Nyambe will be looking to continue his excellent first season as a Ram. He has found his way into the first team and doesn't look to be going anywhere anytime soon.

Centre midfield: Conor Hourihane

Derby County's captain will be hoping to lead his side to a fourth straight league win this evening. Hourihane has been slowly improving and will be looking to showacse his quality tonight.

Centre midfield: Max Bird

Max Bird had to leave the game at the weekend in the second half as he was concerned about an eye injury. However the midfielder will be available and all ready to go against Port Vale tonight.

Centre midfield: Tyrese Fornah

Tyrese Fornah looked good when he came off the bench on Saturday and was a handful for Bristol Rovers to deal with.

The former Forest man will be expecting to come into the starting XI tonight as Korey Smith will likely be unavailable as he's dealing with a knee injury that he picked up on Saturday. This is a big chance for Fornah to win himself a starting XI place.

Left wing: Tom Barkhuizen

Barkhuizen was quiet on Saturday and so could be a contender for losing his spot in the game tonight. However, so far over the whole season he has proven he's the best option for Paul Warne at left wing.

Right wing: Nathaniel Mendez-Laing

Mendez-Laing put in another man of the match performance on Saturday and has become the Rams' talisman this season.

He'll be a no brainer for the forseeable future and Paul Warne will be hoping that the Guatemalan international can continue his good form.

Striker: James Collins

James Collins was quiet on Saturday and didn't have his best game. However with Conor Washington out for the next couple of months, he looks to be the first choice striker.

However, a poor showing and Martyn Waghorn will be threatening to start again.