Derby County will be looking to continue their nine-match unbeaten run in their Championship clash against Queens Park Rangers.
Meanwhile, the R's will be desperate to develop a run of results following their inconsistent form in the second tier over the past two months.
Derby County
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Derby had a slow start to the campaign which would have concerned their supporters following their poor end to last term when the club missed out on the playoffs.
However, the Rams have clicked into gear under the tenure of Paul Clement and now look a side capable of challenging for automatic promotion to the Premier League.
Clement's men have been extremely impressive since September as they are currently on a nine-match unbeaten run, with their only defeat in the campaign coming at the hands of Leeds United at the end of August.
Since then, Derby have won seven out of their last nine contests which has propelled them into the top six of the Championship, which has included back-to-back victories over Huddersfield Town and Rotherham United in their last two outings.
The form of Chris Martin has been integral to the club's surge up the table as he has scored eight goals over the course of the season, netting six strikes in their unbeaten run. Tom Ince has also been a threat in the final third, making the Rams the fourth-highest scorers in the league.
Derby have also been resolute at the back this season, conceding just 10 goals in their 14 matches and also shutting out their opponents in six of their contests. Three of their six clean sheets have come in their last five matches.
The Rams have won their last three matches at the iPro Stadium in convincing fashion, with their defeat to Leeds the only blemish on their home record this season. Clement and his men will be determined to continue their good form on their turf against the R's.
Recent form: WWWDWW
Queens Park Rangers
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QPR have been dogged by their inconsistent form over the course of the campaign as they have dropped into mid-table in the Championship, despite making a bright start to the season.
The R's won three matches on the spin in August to give their supporters hope that an immediate return to the Premier League was on the cards following their relegation last term.
However, Chris Ramsey's men have recorded just two victories in the league in the past two months, which has begun to put pressure on the 52-year-old.
The club's defeat to Brentford on Friday dropped them into 12th place in the division, just six days removed from an impressive 3-0 win over MK Dons at Loftus Road.
QPR's form on the road has been their downfall over the past eight weeks as they have lost their last three away matches, scoring just one goal in the process.
Their struggles to find the net have been surprising considering that they have scored the third-highest number of goals in the Championship this season, scoring 22 goals in their 14 matches.
Charlie Austin has netted seven strikes, but his fitness problems have blighted his side's success in front of goal as he only returned from a hamstring injury following a month on the sidelines last week.
Ramsey's side's problems have occurred in defence as only three teams have conceded more than their 23 goals in their division, which has left them with a minus one goal difference.
The R's have shown improvement by keeping two clean sheets in their win over MK Dons and their draw against Sheffield Wednesday, but Ramsey will know that his side will have to be resilient to take a positive result from the iPro Stadium.
Recent form: LWLDWL
Team News
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The Rams will be without George Thorne due to suspension after he picked up his fifth booking of the season against Rotherham. Jeff Hendrick and Craig Bryson will push to replace him in the Derby midfield.
Ince will also be missing for the Rams due to injury, with Andreas Weimann continuing in his absence as part of the front three for Clement's men.
Ramsey will be boosted by the return of Austin to the starting lineup following his recovery from a hamstring injury, as the 26-year-old will lead the line at the iPro Stadium.
Clint Hill will miss the clash for the R's after suffering knee cartilage damage in his side's defeat to Brentford, which could sideline him for a month. Sandro is also absent for Ramsey's men with an ankle injury.
Nedum Onuoha may revert into the centre of defence to replace Hill, with James Perch coming into the side at right-back.
Derby possible starting lineup:
Carson; Christie, Keogh, Shackell, Forsyth; Johnson, Hendrick, Butterfield; Weiman, Martin, Russell
QPR possible starting lineup:
Green; Perch, Hall, Onuoha, Konchesky; Tozser, Henry, Phillips, Chery, Luongo; Austin
Head To Head
QPR were promoted at the expense of Derby in their last meeting in the Championship playoff final in 2014 as Bobby Zamora's late strike sent the R's back into the top flight.
The Rams won the last clash at the iPro Stadium as a strike from John Eustace was enough to secure a 1-0 win, while QPR secured a 2-1 victory in the previous meeting in the 2013-14 season when Jermaine Jenas and an own goal from Eustace won the match.
Over the course of history, Derby have edged the contest by winning 17 of the matches compared to QPR's 14, while 18 of the games have ended in draws.
We say: Derby 2-0 QPR
The Rams have begun to find their form in front of goal and have been impressive at the iPro Stadium throughout the campaign, so Clement's men will take the three points from the contest.
Simon Sinclair
