Match Preview
Derby County vrs Fulham
Championship Match Day 34 19/20 at Craven Cottage
Friday 21 February 2020 KO: 19:45
Referee:
Darren Bond (Lancashire)
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With a number of their nearest rivals having failed to find any consistency in
recent weeks, Fulham had the opportunity to move into the top two of the
Championship standings, keeping in close proximity to leaders West Bromwich
Albion.
However, a 1-1 draw at Millwall was followed by a hugely disappointing 3-0 home
defeat to Barnsley - a result which left Scott Parker to acknowledge that his
side had failed to meet their previous standards.
Although the Cottagers sit just three points adrift of Leeds, there is the same
margin between the West Londoners and Bristol City in seventh, putting Parker
and his squad in a position where they are looking over their shoulders.
A positive result in the East Midlands will change their perspective, but Fulham
need to improve in the final third with just nine goals coming in as many
matches.
Despite Aleksandar Mitrovic having 21 strikes to his name, just seven of his
teammates have chipped in with contributions of their own since the beginning of
August.
As far as Derby are concerned, their goal return has improved significantly
since the arrival of Wayne Rooney, with 16 being netted in their last
half-a-dozen outings in all competitions.
That has been undermined by 11 being shipped at the other end, leaving head
coach Philip Cocu to try to restore some balance to a team which had showed
signs of progression.
At a time when the club have reached the FA Cup fifth round, a run of five wins
from seven had been recorded at the second tier before their failure to see off
either Bristol City or Huddersfield Town.
While their earlier momentum has disappeared, Friday's game represents a chance
to remain active in the race for the top six, a target which can still be
achieved if they can get at least six points on the board from three fixtures
before the showdown with Manchester United in the FA Cup.
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Derby have lost their past two Championship matches against Fulham, losing 2-0 in the play-offs in May 2018 and 3-0 earlier this season.
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Fulham have lost four of their last five away matches against Derby in the Championship (including play-offs), winning the other in March 2018.
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Fulham's 3-0 defeat against Barnsley last time out ended a six-game unbeaten run in the Championship for the Whites (W4 D2), conceding as many goals against the Tykes as they had in those previous six.
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Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic is the Championship top goal scorer with 21 goals.
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Of the 7 away games Fulham has lost, they conceded first 7 times.
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Derby have lost just one of their past 15 home league games (W9 D5), with that defeat coming against Millwall back in December.
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Derby forward Wayne Rooney has scored nine goals in his past 12 appearances against Fulham in all competitions.
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Of the 10 league games Derby has won at home, they scored first 10 times.