The Championship is back this weekend and there's certainly some exciting games to look forward to over Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The international break has taken centre-stage in recent days but there's just a few games left in that now and many fans will be turning their attentions back to the club game.

Certainly, in the second tier there's some great games to look forward to and the biggest of all sees Derby County and Nottingham Forest do battle at Pride Park.

The Rams and the Reds have had steady starts to the season but both need to really pick up their form and add some consistency to their seasons if they are to start getting near the play-off places.

One boost for Derby, though, could come quicker than expected with Darren Bent saying he is nearer a return from injury than expected.

As quoted by the Rams' official website, the former Charlton and Tottenham striker said:

"It’s going really well, every day out on the grass is a bonus for me.

“At first it was supposed to be January and I thought I was a long way off but now it looks like it could be sooner.

“Every day I try to put my foot down and work as hard as I can to get myself back fit.”

For sure, then, Bent will be hoping that what he has had to say comes to pass with the men from Pride Park needing a more reliable source of goals than the ones they have right now.

Only Matej Vydra is firing and that isn't really enough at the moment.

The Verdict

The Rams have not had a good start to the season but they do have plenty of room to improve and so that should be some consolation.

Indeed, with them playing Forest this weekend there is no better time to kick-start their season whilst the Bent news is also a positive for the club.

Thoughts, Rams fans? Let us know below!