A bit shorter than usual, sorry.

Monday 18th April 2011
Npower Football League Championship
Loftus Road Stadium
Referee: D Deadman
Kick-off: 19:45
Queens Park Rangers (1st) V Derby County (19th)
By The Godfather

If Queens Park Rangers pick up three points on Monday night and Norwich fail to beat Ipswich at Portman Road on Thursday, then Warnock's men will be promoted. Given the Rams' league position, this should really be a comfortable victory for the Super Hoops. However, County were unlucky not to beat the Rs at Pride Park earlier in the campaign and should not be underestimated. The Rams will probably adopt a defensive approach in an attempt to frustrate Rangers, which is why the Rs must try to score early.

Derby County

Manager: Nigel Clough

After another disappointing campaign, pressure has been mounting on Nigel Clough, son of the great Brian. Relegation is still possible - but it's unlikely given that they are eight points clear. The Board has announced that they are fully behind the manager, who will be given another chance next season. Chief Executive, Tom Glick, will even offer supporters their money back if they are disappointed by the transfer activity this summer. Financially, the club is more stable (losses have fallen from £15 million in 2009 to just £2 million in 2010) and, according to Glick, this will enable Clough to invest in the squad.

The 2010/11 season actually started very well for the Rams, achieving success with an exciting brand of football. They were around the play-off places at Christmas, but a dreadful run of form followed, which saw Clough's side quickly fall down the league table. They currently lie in 19th position, eight points clear of the relegation zone. The Rams do come into this match on the back of a decent result: a 2-1 victory over Leeds United.

Man to watch

Robbie Savage is likely to start on Monday night. Over the years he has earned a reputation as "the man everyone loves to hate". The 36 year-old has spent most of his career in the Premiership, enjoying spells with Leicester, Birmingham and Blackburn. He has also made 39 appearances for the Welsh national team. The holding midfielder lacks pace, but managed to mark Taarabt out of the game earlier in the season. I hope he is not as effective on Monday night because, frankly, I strongly dislike him and would hate to see him prevent Taarabt from performing on the night.

Previous Match

August 2010 - QPR pulled off an amazing comeback, scoring two goals in injury-time to secure a point. Derby took the lead early on when Kris Commons lifted the ball over Paddy Kenny and into the back of the net. James Bailey doubled the home side's advantage in the second half, slotting home from the edge of the box. The Rams thought they had won the match: but the Rs struck twice late on. First, substitute, Patrick Agyemang, managed to flick the ball over the onrushing goalkeeper and into the net, before Jamie Mackie drove home a late equaliser, provoking Warnock and his coaching staff into wild celebration. For me, this result was the first sign that this would be a season to remember.

Derby County 2-2 Queens Park Rangers

QPR Team News

Warnock is unlikely to make any changes to his starting line-up. Peter Ramage, Lee Cook and Jamie Mackie remain long-term absentees.

Prediction

This is obviously a very important fixture, since QPR's final four matches are against strong opposition (Cardiff, Hull, Watford and Leeds). Monday night's match, which is live on Sky, presents an excellent opportunity to gain promotion: I just hope that we don't make life difficult for ourselves. I'm going to be optimistic and predict a narrow victory for the Rs.

Queens Park Rangers 2-1 Derby County