Derby County vs Queens Park Rangers. Sky Bet Championship.
Pride Park StadiumAttendance27,690.
Friday 31 March 2017 18:54, UK
Darren Bent will be back in the Derby squad for Gary Rowett's first home game as Rams boss against QPR, live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 7pm on Friday.
Rowett is Derby chairman Mel Morris's fifth manager since buying the club in 2015, meaning the average life-span of a manager under his watch is just 137 days.
QPR top the Sky Bet Championship form table over the past seven games, having taken 16 points over that period.
Team news
Illness ruled Bent out of the draw with rivals Nottingham Forest prior to the international break but the striker has since resumed training.
Midfielder Bradley Johnson will also be fit after missing training last week with a knock.
Rowett, whose first match in charge was a 2-2 draw at the City Ground, is still without long-term absentees Jason Shackell (back), Nick Blackman (knee), Craig Forsyth (knee) and George Thorne (leg).
QPR will check on the fitness of Pawel Wszolek and Massimo Luongo.
Polish winger Wszolek has been struggling with illness but Rangers are hopeful he will be available.
Midfielder Luongo is a doubt, however, after picking up an injury while on international duty with Australia.
Defender Jack Robinson is fit after a hamstring problem and winger Kazenga LuaLua is also progressing well following an ankle injury.
Opta stats
The Rams are unbeaten in their last three home league games against QPR (W2 D1) since losing 4-2 in October 2009.
The Hoops have failed to score in four of their last six league games against Derby, scoring exactly twice in the other two games.
Derby County have won only one of their last 10 league games (D4 L5) and drew 2-2 last time out vs Forest in Rowett's first game in charge.
Since returning to the club, Ian Holloway has won 41 per cent of his Championship games with QPR, while previous boss Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink won just 28 per cent of his matches.
QPR have won five of their last seven Championship matches (D1 L1), as many as they'd won in the previous 20.
Matej Vydra has scored two goals in his last three league games, the same total he'd bagged in his last 31 combined.
Prutton predicts
Gary Rowett and Ian Holloway - the battle of the Sky Sports studio! They have both been good company and going into the game, Gary has had a decent length of time now to work with his new team.
He has a lot of good players but they have a few things to improve before they start picking up three points consistently.
As for QPR, I've been impressed by the way Ian sets up away from Loftus Road. He contains the opposition and maximises what he gets from his players.
PRUTTON PREDICTS: 2-2 (Sky Bet 16/1)
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