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Queens Park Rangers will be looking to go a step closer to the Premier League tonight when they take on Derby County at Loftus Road.
Neil Warnock’s men are all but certain to win the Championship this year after a season of extremely impressive displays that have seen them dominate English football’s second tier.
Ahead of tonight’s game with Derby, they sit eight points clear of 3rd placed Norwich. Three points in this evening’s fixture would mean that they could be promoted on Thursday evening if Norwich fail to win the East Anglian Derby against Ipswich.
This provides the home side with an extra incentive to pick up three points tonight, although they should require no motivation to get the job done.
QPR have not been a Premier League side since 1996 and are extremely close to returning to the top flight. Many would argue that it is a case of when rather than if they get promoted this year, but Warnock will ensure that his players remain focused.
They have an excellent home record though, with just one defeat at Loftus Road all season, so they will be expected to emerge victorious against Nigel Clough’s men tonight.
The Rams have had an up and down season. They started the campaign brightly with victory at Leeds United, but very inconsistent form has followed and they are still not safe from relegation this season.
Sitting eight points above the drop zone, they are not expected to be relegated with just five games to go, but picking up a positive result tonight would still be more than welcome for them.
Presuming they are safe, a good end to the campaign would be beneficial for them as it would ensure Clough remains in the job and creates some stability at the club.
With victory over play-off chasing Leeds last time out, Derby would love to influence the promotion race once again tonight. With the likes of Robbie Savage in their ranks, they would thoroughly enjoy upsetting the league leaders.
County have a decent record at QPR too, with their last defeat at Loftus Road coming in September 1982, so perhaps tonight’s game won’t be quite as straight forward as some people think.
Overall though, Warnock’s men will be favourites to record three very valuable points in their quest for the Premier League.
