Derby County take on Cardiff City at Pride Park in this afternoon's curtain-closing action in the Championship.

Wayne Rooney has had to shuffle his pack a lot of times this season and will need to one more time with two players ruled out of the final game of the season.

Rooney issued the following injury update when he spoke to DerbyshireLive.

He said: "Krystian (Bielik) won't be fit.

"He tried to train on Thursday but he didn't finish the session.

"Lee Buchanan the same, he didn't finish the session.

"So those two are out."

The astronomical transfer fee involved in Krystian Bielik's transfer from Arsenal in the summer of 2019 will give Chris Kirchner a lot to contemplate if he is successful in taking over the club this summer.

The defensive midfielder has been an outstanding performer for the club since, and was sorely missed in the first half of the season when he was recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Lee Buchanan has been one of many success stories from the club's youth setup in the last couple of seasons, and the left back could be a key player heading into next season in League One, if a fresh agreement can be struck in the near future.

The Verdict

Bielik and Buchanan will likely still be in attendance to mark what has been a very respectable campaign for the Rams, making the best of a bad situation with a breath-taking never say die attitude shown throughout.

It is very hard to see a player of Bielik's ability playing in the third tier next season, and therefore the Polish midfielder has probably represented Derby for the final time in his career.

Buchanan would have a strong claim to stay in the Championship as well, but with the strong loyalty of a key portion of the up and coming players at Pride Park, the 21-year-old may be well-advised to stay put for at least another season under Rooney.