Derby County will be looking to get back to winning ways in the Championship tomorrow night when they host Fulham at Pride Park.

Having been forced to settle for a draw in their meeting with Huddersfield Town last weekend, the Rams' hopes of reaching the play-offs for the third season in succession are hanging by a thread.

Currently nine points adrift of the top-six in the second-tier, Derby can ill-afford to be dropping points against the Cottagers on Friday.

Given that Tom Huddlestone and Duane Holmes are both set to miss this particular fixture due to injury, it will be intriguing to see who manager Phillip Cocu opts to start in the heart of midfield.

Whereas Jason Knight is capable of operating in this particular role, Graeme Shinnie could be in line to make his 14th appearance of the season.

Despite being forced off in the latter stages of Derby's clash with the Terriers, Andre Wisdom will be available for selection after overcoming a hamstring issue.

Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of the game, pundit David Prutton has predicted that the Rams will be held to a 2-2 draw by Fulham.

The 38-year-old said: "Any hopes of Derby making a late run for the play-offs are getting slimmer and slimmer after failing to win their last two.

"One team often does it but I think the gap is just too big.

"Fulham were desperately poor against Barnsley last week and that was a shocking result for a side chasing promotion.

"It will be interesting to see if Scott Parker sticks with Marek Rodak in goal, too.

"I fancy goals here, and a draw."

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The Verdict

Whilst Derby will be under no illusion about the threat that Fulham will pose tomorrow, there is no reason why they cannot secure a positive result in-front of their own supporters.

Given that they currently boast the second best home record in the Championship, the Rams may be able to force the Cottagers to crumble if they are willing to take the game to Parker's side.

With the likes of Wayne Rooney, Tom Lawrence and Martyn Waghorn at his disposal, Cocu ought to fancy his chances of leading Derby to what would be their 11th victory at Pride Park this season.

By sealing all three points on Friday, the Rams may be able to use the momentum gained from this result to push on in the second-tier over the coming weeks.