Queens Park Rangers manager Mark Warburton believes his side will be facing their hardest test of the season so far when they take on Derby County on Monday night, speaking candidly to the R's club journalists ahead of this tie.
The two teams are a whopping 31 points apart going into this clash at Pride Park, though this is mainly due to the Rams' two points deductions this term, suffering a docking of 12 after their entrance into administration before being punished with a further sanction of nine earlier this month for breaking the EFL's profit and sustainability rules.
QPR have enjoyed a reasonably successful campaign thus far though, building on their promising second half of last term and going unbeaten in their last five league matches.
A strong defence has been the key to their recent success, conceding just three goals during this unbeaten run and keeping a clean sheet in their last two.
This is an ominous sign for a Derby side that fired a blank against Fulham in their midweek tie at Craven Cottage and have scored just 16 times in their opening 19 league games of the 2021/22 campaign.
That is a record that looks set to relegate Wayne Rooney's men unless they can vastly improve their form in front of goal - but R's boss Warburton believes the freedom the East Midlands side will be able to play with will make this match the toughest of his side's campaign so far.
The 59-year-old said: "This is our toughest game of the season so far.
"The points deduction has happened and it’s out of their (Derby’s) control – but they can play with real freedom and express themselves now.
"Not many teams will get four points out of Bournemouth and Fulham. They’ll have a target in mind and you have to respect that, otherwise you’ll get hurt.
"The players and staff will feel a sense of injustice and will come out firing. They have a passionate crowd who will feel that injustice as well.
"Twenty-one points is some deduction but they have a fantastic setup and something to aim for. You should never underestimate a group of players and staff when they have something to play for."
The Verdict
Warburton is right to say this will be a tough game, because Derby will need to come out and play on the front foot from the first whistle considering how many points adrift of safety they are, making it an uncomfortable tie for his players to play in.
Although this will make the game easier to prepare for, knowing the approach Monday's home side will take, the fact this game is at Pride Park in front of a vociferous crowd will make this tie a daunting task for the visitors.
An AFC Bournemouth team that had conceded just once away from home before their trip to the East Midlands last weekend let in three against Rooney's men, reinforcing the magnitude of the task they face in a couple of days.
However, they need to utilise the momentum they have and as a side that have picked up ten more points than Derby this term, there should be no shortage of confidence coming into a tie against a beatable side.
The Rams may have kept a superb clean sheet in midweek, but they had conceded in their previous six games prior to that tie and this is something the likes of Ilias Chair, Chris Willock and Charlie Austin should be looking to take encouragement from.