Derby County are one of many teams that are fighting for promotion to the Premier League from the Championship this season. As we go into the games this weekend, Derby are currently holding onto the final playoff position, and that is where they will hope to remain.

They are eight points away from automatic promotion so it is unlikely they will be able to challenge for that, so the playoffs and staying in them will be the key. However, that is not going to be easy, with a whole host a clubs queueing up outside of the playoff places looking to get in. Down in 13th place are Hull, who are just six points off Derby, which is only a couple of wins and means they are well within reach. That means at least seven clubs who are on the outside looking in will fancy their chances of making the playoffs, and are currently six points or less outside of them.

The Championship often provides us with some exciting tussles both at the top and bottom of the table and this year looks like being no different, especially at the top with the race for the automatic spots and the race for the playoffs.

Preston come into this game in 16th position and they are in no mans land really right now. They are too far away from the playoffs to challenge for them, and clear enough of the relegation zone to not need to worry about that at this stage. Having said that, if there is one aim for the club as we approach the latter part of the season it will be to finish in the top half. They are four points off Birmingham in 12th who are the aim, and with two recent wins on the board, a third in a row here would certainly help their claim to get up there.

They face a tough task against Derby though on Friday night, and if they want to keep up their winning streak they are going to have to be at their best in this game.

Frank Lampard Makes Impressive Start to Managerial Career

Plenty of people had their eyes on Frank Lampard this season as he took his first steps into management, and so far he has done well and shown he is more than capable of being a manager high up in the football pyramid. He took over Derby at a tough time when they had lost a couple of key players from the squad and had come close to promotion before. Instead of struggling though, Lampard has pulled them together, brought in some key additions of his own, and once again he has them challenging for promotion.

Based on what we have seen from Lampard, it would be no surprise to eventually see him manage in the Premier League, whether that is with Derby or with someone else. He has quickly shown that he can use his contacts in the game to get players in, with key loan signings coming from his old club Chelsea as well as Liverpool, where he knows people in the backroom staff.

By having such a distinguished playing career himself, and by what he has shown developing young players this season so far, it would be no surprise to see Lampard bring in further youngsters on loan in the future. Manty top clubs want their young players to go out on loan, but they need someone they can trust to develop their players and Lampard is showing that so far, which can only be a good thing for Derby in the long run.

Something else that has been impressive from Lampard so far has been the way he speaks, both before and after the games he has been involved in. He has made some rookie mistakes from time to time, but that was always going to happen, just like it does with all young managers. However, he has shown up well in interviews, explained things properly and appeared to be a very humble man, giving praise to other teams and players when it was warranted.

Derby won’t have any intention of letting Lampard leave the club, but eventually there will come a time when he has the chance to move onto somewhere else that is bigger and better. The Lampard apprenticeship is going very well so far at Derby County, and if what we have seen so far is an indication of what is to come, Frank Lampard could well progress and become a top Premier League manager in the future.

Preston vs Derby Betting Tips

This game is a lot bigger for Derby than Preston and they have a great chance to put three points on the board here and put others under pressure who play a day later. Preston don’t have as much to play for, and they are stuck in the middle right now, although they will have the aim to finish in the top half of the table, and a win here would certainly help that. They have won their last two, and are looking for three although this game will be a lot tougher for them.

Lampard’s Derby come here with two wins from their last five games and while that has kept them in the playoffs, it hasn’t allowed them to kick on and create a gap between them and the chasing pack. They are just two points clear of those chasing right now, so a draw or a loss on Friday night could see them drop out of the playoffs if other results do not go their way.

However, I don’t think that will happen here, I think Derby are a good price to go to Preston and win this game. They are visiting a team with less at stake, and there is no doubt that Lampard will have his players fired up for this. By playing on Friday night they have an opportunity to put pressure on those around them, and they would move up into 5th position with three points.

This should be a good game, but we are siding with Derby to take home the three points from this one and solidify their position in the playoffs and continue their push to get up into the Premier League. That would be a huge achievement for a rookie manager like Frank Lampard, and something he is pushing hard to achieve.

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