Fri 24 Oct - Posted in Breaking News
Time to read: 6mins
Queens Park Rangers will head to Pride Park Stadium on Saturday as Derby County’s second opponent on home soil in the space of a week (3pm kick-off).
The Rams triumphed with a 1-0 win over Norwich City on Tuesday, providing the first three points on home soil this season, with David Ozoh’s 55th-minute strike enough to come out on top under the Pride Park floodlights.
It was Derby’s second win of the league campaign, with five draws also to their name after 11 matches played and John Eustace’s side will be looking to kick on following the midweek success when QPR provide another opportunity for three points at Pride Park.
Tickets for the Rams' latest home game are still available and can be purchased online, over the phone or in person from the Ticket Office.
Supporters are urged to buy tickets in advance to avoid the matchday price increase.
Find out more ticket details for Saturday's match by clicking here.
QPR have already turned some heads with their early-season form as new manager Julien Stéphan has taken the club within goal difference of the top six a quarter of the way through the campaign.
Victory at Swansea City on Wednesday night took Rangers to 18 points from their 11 Championship games, level with Charlton Athletic in fifth. Ten of those points have come away from home with three wins and a draw from their last four league games away from Loftus Road.
After failing to win any of their first four league and cup games of the season, a run which included a 7-1 thumping at Coventry City, QPR have lost only once in their last eight games, and that came last Saturday at home to London rivals Millwall.
Since dropping out of the Premier League in 2015 – a year after earning their place at the top table by beating the Rams in a Wembley play-off final – Rangers have struggled to maintain a promotion push in the second tier.
The highest the club have finished is ninth in the 2020/21 Championship season. Flirtations with exiting the division via the other end of the table have been more common with four of the last ten completed campaigns resulting in a bottom-six finish, though they have never ended up lower than 20th.
There was a period last season when it looked as if the trapdoor might open, especially when the club reached mid-November with only one win and 11 points from their opening 16 league fixtures. They were bottom of the table at that point, but an excellent spell either side of Christmas – when the club recorded eight wins in 13 games, losing only once – dramatically altered their trajectory.
Results tailed off as the season wound down, and when it finished with a victory at promoted Sunderland – with their then-Head Coach Marti Cifuentes placed on gardening leave – they had amassed 56 points to finish 15th. Cifuentes, who had been in charge at Rangers since October 2023, left the club in June and joined Leicester City, with QPR turning to their first-ever French manager to replace him.
Stéphan had never managed outside of French football before joining QPR. He rose through the ranks of Rennes’ Academy, managing the Under-19s and B Team before stepping up to be First-Team Head Coach in December 2018, initially stepping in as an interim before being handed the permanent role just over a week later.
He led the French club to their first trophy in 48 years when they beat Thomas Tuchel’s PSG side in the Coupe de France final in 2019. They finished third the following season and qualified for the Champions League.
He left for Strasbourg in 2021, but returned to Rennes for one more season in 2023/24 before taking a hiatus from management when he was dismissed in November 2024.
Striker Chris Martin was on the books with the Rams from 2013 until 2020, and he led the line on 224 occasions in black and white, scoring 76 goals.
Martin first arrived at the Rams on loan from Norwich City in February 2013, before his move was made permanent in the summer.
Across his time in Derby, he also had loan moves to Fulham, Reading and Hull City before he moved to Bristol City in September 2020.
The striker joined Queens Park Rangers following the expiry of his contract with the Robins, and he netted four goals in 16 games for the R’s in the 2022/23 campaign.
Midfielder Jeff Hendrick also had a spell with the West London club later in his career.
He made over 400 club appearances during his professional career, with 214 of those coming during his first spell at Pride Park Stadium, in addition to his 79 caps for the Republic of Ireland.
Hendrick made his name in English football as a Derby player, joining back in 2008 when he joined the Academy as a scholar from St Kevin’s Boys in his home city. He rose through the ranks, and his double-century of appearances concluded when he signed for Premier League side Burnley in 2016.
He then joined Newcastle United in 2020 and enjoyed loan spells back in the Championship over the next three seasons, including with Queens Park Rangers in 2022. He made 11 outings for Rangers.
Hendrick re-joined the club at the tail end of last season as an instrumental part of the dressing room and at Moor Farm Training Centre, though he didn’t make another appearance for the Rams. He called time on an exceptional playing career ahead of the 2025/26 season.
Head Coach John Eustace spoke to RamsTV and urged his team to take the momentum from their midweek triumph over Norwich City into Saturday’s head-to-head with Queens Park Rangers.
Tuesday night's goalscorer, David Ozoh, also caught up with RamsTV to reflect on the win over the Canaries and look forward to Saturday's match-up.
Get your Derby County matchday programme, 'The Ram' - including an exclusive interview with defender Dion Sanderson - at Pride Park Stadium.
The Ram is sold around the stadium ahead of the game for £4 or can be ordered for home delivery.
Find out more by clicking here.
Elliot Bell will take charge of the fixture at the Pride Park Stadium - his sixth Championship contest of the 2025/26 campaign. He has handed out 21 yellow cards and one red card so far this term.
Bell has held the whistle in a Rams game on two previous occasions, officiating Derby’s opening day loss at Stoke City.
Graham Kane and Richard Woodward will be the assistant referees, while Anthony Backhouse will take on the fourth official role.
Live audio commentary for all of Derby County’s first team matches in the 2025/26 season - both league and cup fixtures - is available to RamsTV Audio subscribers based both in the UK and internationally.
Information about RamsTV's Video Live Streaming and other services for this game can be found here.
RamsTV's Match highlights will be available on dcfc.co.uk and the Derby County App from midnight.
Is it your first time visiting Pride Park Stadium to watch Derby County in action? Here's a handy guide to help you along the way with all you need to know!
If you're a Derby County supporter attending the fixture at Pride Park Stadium, you can find a wide range of details in our Matchday Hub by clicking here.
If you are a fan of our opposition at Pride Park Stadium, full information on visiting Derby County can be found in our Away Supporters Hub by clicking here.
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