Phillip Cocu’s side face Brentford in what will be the Rams final league trip to Griffin Park before the Bees move to their new home.
Derby will also be wanting to put the frustration of the last few games behind them, especially with the International break starting after the match.
This will give Cocu some valuable time to assess the job so far as well as time for players such as Jayden Bogle to recover from injury.
The Opposition
Brentford come into the game in 19th, following a rocky start to their season. The Bees picked up their first win away at Middlesbrough but have failed to kick on since, drawing one and losing two of the next three league matches.
The Bees finished last season in 11th, ten points off the Rams in sixth place. Brentford looked to challenge once again but the loss of Dean Smith to Aston Villa made the task much more daunting for the London side.
Previous Meetings
The last match between the two sides was at Griffin Park, which saw out an incredible six goal thriller. The game ended 3-3, where each time the Rams pulled ahead, the Bees pegged them back soon after.
The reverse fixture at Pride Park was more of the same. An end-to-end encounter that saw Brentford pull ahead within the first minute through a defensive error. However, it only took the Rams an explosive 27 minutes to turn the game on its head, scoring three times to end the game 3-1.
Team News
Florian Josefzoon and Jayden Bogle are still out injured, whilst Scott Malone remains a doubt and is dependant on whether he can train the day before. Andre Wisdom has returned to training and is a possibility for the game.
The Bees have no fresh injury concerns, and Nikos Karelis could make his first appearance at Griffin Park as he makes a late push to prove his fitness to boss Thomas Frank.
Manager’s thoughts
Cocu believes his side have been unfortunate to not pick up more points so far this season, given their performances: “I think we should have four points more than we have - but that’s the way it is. If we can get a good result on Saturday, it will be important.
“It will not be an easy game. They have a good team, with good players. They keep the ball very well - but if we can play like we can, we are also capable of playing good football and getting a good result.”
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