Fulham is making an arduous trip to Pride Park in Derby to face the Rams on Good Friday, knowing that they still have work ahead of them if they want to lift the Championship title with kickoff at 10 pm.
This game is a must-win for the Rams, with Derby nine points adrift of safety and the Cottagers holding a 10-point lead over the second position.
Fulham invested a lot of time and effort into making the match against Coventry City so important.
However, the West Londoners were well beaten by the Sky Blues, who were 2-0 ahead after 24 minutes and eventually prevailed by a 3-1 scoreline.
The result will certainly not deny Fulham an immediate return to the Premier League. Still, it has left manager Marco Silva to reiterate to his players that they cannot avoid getting complacent.
For the first time in months, Derby County feels like they are making progress off the pitch regarding a new owner.
However, relegation would hit a club the size of the Rams hard, and Wayne Rooney has been left to try to pull off the unthinkable of realistically collecting at least four wins from their remaining games.
The England legend will insist that his side should be taking one fixture at a time, but there is a consensus that only a win will do against Leeds United.
Derby vs. Fulham Head to Head
Both sides have 15 games against each other, with hosts taking five wins while visitors with four wins. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Swansea City 2-1 Derby County
- Derby County 1-0 Preston North End
- Derby County 1-1 Coventry City
- Blackburn 3-1 Derby
- Bournemouth 2-0 Derby
Away
- Fulham 1-3 Coventry City
- Middlesbrough 0-1 Fulham
- QPR 0-2 Fulham
- West Brom 1-0 Fulham
- Barnsley 1-1 Fulham
Derby County Team News
After scoring Fulham’s consolation goal against Coventry, Bobby Decordova-Reid may be in line for a recall to the squad. Jean Michael Seri will hope to start in central midfield, with Nathaniel Chalobah most likely to drop down to the substitutes’ bench.
Fulham Team News
Rooney will consider making several changes to his Derby XI, including handing a recall to right-back Festy Ebosele. Craig Forsyth and Jason Knight are both options in defense and midfield, respectively, but striker Luke Plange is expected to retain his spot in attack.
Prediction and Odds
As Derby County plays at Pride Park, it is difficult to rule out the Rams against second-tier opponents.
- Fulham Win
- Goals Under 2.5
- No Score: Home
