Aiming to avoid a fourth straight defeat in the second tier, Derby County will welcome a struggling Queens Park Rangers side to Pride Park on Saturday afternoon for an important Championship clash.
The Rams were second best in the North-East against promotion-chasing Sunderland earlier in the week, whilst the R's were unable to get the better of Hull City in West London.
Match preview
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Following back-to-back wins over Bristol City and strugglers Cardiff City either side of the September international break, Derby County have been brought firmly back down to the ground with three consecutive losses in the Championship, reminding them that avoiding a bottom-three finish is set to be very difficult task this season.
Failing at the hands of Sheffield United and Norwich City recently, the Rams travelled to the Stadium of Light on Tuesday night in hope more than expectation of a result, with goals either side of the half-time whistle from Jobe Bellingham and summer arrival Wilson Isidor securing maximum points for the table-topping Black Cats.
After eight matches of the fresh Championship season, newly-promoted Derby are occupying 14th place in the second-tier rankings, two points ahead of QPR in 22nd place and six points behind John Eustace's Blackburn Rovers, who currently sit in the lowest of the playoff spots.
Paul Warne's troops should be relatively confident of picking up maximum points on Saturday afternoon considering their impressive home form so far this campaign, with all nine of the Rams' points being collected at their Pride Park base courtesy of wins over Middlesbrough, Bristol City and Cardiff.
Following their failure to sign a striker during the closing moments of the summer transfer window, Derby are relying on the entirety of their attacking ranks to share the goalscoring burden until the New Year at least, with both Kayden Jackson and Kenzo Goudmijn netting two each to date.
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Despite enduring a five-game winless run across the Championship and EFL Cup since the resumption of action following the September international pause, QPR have recently announced a new long-term contract for head coach Marti Cifuentes, who did a remarkable job in guiding the club to second-tier safety last season.
Focusing on the here and now, the R's come into this weekend's trip to the East Midlands after a bitterly-disappointing Tuesday night at Loftus Road, where goals from Cody Drameh, Chris Bedia and Liam Millar sealed a three-goal success for Tim Walter's in-form Hull outfit.
With a 2-1 scoreline in the front of the TV cameras on August 30 against Luton Town representing their only victory of the Championship season to date, Saturday's visitors are languishing down in 22nd place, although they could theoretically move to as high as 13th with three points at Pride Park.
There have been small causes for optimism in the midst of a challenging start to the campaign for the R's, including Swiss striker Michael Frey, who is managing to keep Slovenia international Zan Celar out of the XI after netting three goals in his first eight second-tier matches of the term.
Regardless of Derby's stellar home record, QPR should be confident of a positive result on Saturday afternoon given their away record so far in 2024-25, with five of their seven Championship points arriving away from Loftus Road, losing just one of four league outings to date.
Team News
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Derby were handed a serious injury scare when defender Nat Phillips went down with an issue last time out, but it is understood that the former Liverpool man was just suffering with cramp and should be available this weekend.
The Rams remain without the services of central midfielder David Ozoh, who featured in five league games this season before picking up a hamstring injury.
A Championship stalwart with Preston North End in recent times, Tom Barkhuizen is currently restricted to a watching brief due to a calf strain.
QPR might be unable to call upon the talents of Jake Clarke-Salter again on the weekend, with the centre-back missing the home defeat to Hull.
Better fitness news for the R's arrives in the form of Ilias Chair and Morgan Fox, who both returned to the matchday squad on Tuesday night following their respective injuries.
Derby County possible starting lineup:
Zetterstrom; Wilson, Nelson, Cashin, Phillips; Goudmijn, Osborn, Adams; Mendez-Laing, Blackett-Taylor, Jackson
Queens Park Rangers possible starting lineup:
Nardi; Dunne, Cook, Fox, Paal; Madsen, Field; Dembele, Chair, Saito; Frey
We say: Derby County 2-1 Queens Park Rangers
Winning three of their four Championship home matches so far, Derby will be confident of earning maximum points against an out-of-form QPR side this weekend.
The R's are struggling with a number of injury issues and are likely to suffer their third straight defeat as they visit Pride Park on Saturday afternoon.
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Carter White
