John Eustace says Derby County’s approach for their Carabao Cup Round Two clash at Premier League side Burnley on Tuesday night (7:45pm kick-off) will be to win the tie.
Derby will take on top-flight opposition in Round Two after overcoming fellow Sky Bet Championship outfit West Bromwich Albion on penalties in Round One earlier this month, following a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes at The Hawthorns.
Eustace’s side will make the journey to Turf Moor buoyed by claiming a hard-fought Championship point in a 1-1 draw at home to Bristol City on Friday night, courtesy of striker Carlton Morris’ late goal.
The draw saw the Rams get their first point of the campaign on the board, having previously been beaten by early-season pacesetters Stoke City and Coventry City in their opening two league fixtures.
Opponents Burnley, who gained promotion from the second-tier last season by finishing in second place, claimed their first Premier League win of the 2025/26 season on Saturday with a 2-0 success on home territory against Sunderland.
Eustace spoke to RamsTV following Friday’s draw against Bristol City to offer his thoughts on the cup meeting with the Clarets and how he plans to utilise his squad.
On the approach for the Carabao Cup tie…
It is the same as every other game. We want to win and it is also important to give some players more minutes into their legs. Home or away, Championship, FA Cup or Carabao Cup, it doesn’t matter. We want to win, even if it is friendly. We will be prepared properly and see where it takes us.
On using the cup matches to build up certain players’ match time…
These games aren’t meant for that, but for where we are at the moment - it is perfect. It would be better if we had 24 or so players fully fit to pick from so we could go full-tilt. Like I said, we will try and get more minutes into some players and we will use the opportunity to go to Burnley and put a good performance on.
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