Derby County manager Wayne Rooney has revealed that there have been more cases of players and staff contracting Covid-19 this week.

A number of unnamed players missed last weekend's 1-0 victory over Blackpool following a Covid outbreak at the club.

Despite these issues, Derby opted to play the game instead of asking the EFL to postpone the fixture and went on to seal all three points thanks to a strike from Luke Plange.

The Rams currently have a relatively small squad compared to some of their Championship rivals due to the fact that they were only allowed to sign a limited number of players in the summer transfer window as a result of a transfer embargo.

When you consider that Derby are still in administration, they will not be able to strengthen their squad in January unless a takeover deal can be completed in the coming weeks.

As cited by the Derby Telegraph, Rooney confirmed in his pre-match press conference for Saturday's showdown with Cardiff City that the game may not go ahead as the club are currently having discussions with the EFL regarding the possibility of postponing the fixture.

The Rams boss also admitted that he couldn't fill the squad in a training game ahead of the club's meeting with the Bluebirds due to the current Covid crisis at Pride Park.

The Verdict

This is a bleak update for Derby as if Saturday's game at the Cardiff City Stadium does go ahead, they will be at a major disadvantage as more of their players are set to be sidelined for this fixture.

When you consider that the Rams will be unable to call upon the services of Lee Buchanan and Krystian Bielik for this fixture due to their respective injury issues, it would be somewhat of a shock if this match isn't postponed.

Providing that this weekend's meeting with Cardiff is called off, Derby's supporters will have to wait until December 27th to see their side in action in the Championship.

Set to face West Bromwich Albion at Pride Park, the Rams will be determined to pick up a positive result in this particular fixture.