Derby County vs Brentford
Tuesday 18 October The iPro Stadium Sky Bet Championship Kick-off: 7.45pm
The Opponents
The Rams welcome Brentford to the iPro Stadium with the Club hovering just above the bottom three after an unusually poor start to the season. Just 13 points from 12 games places them in 19th before tonight's match. Goals have been few and far between this season, especially at home where only two have been registered in league games thus far: the most recent coming from Johnny Russell to give his side a 1-0 win over Leeds just three days ago.
Despite this poor league form, Derby did reach the Third Round of the EFL Cup. A 1-0 win over Grimsby Town sent them through to face Carlisle United, who were beaten 14-13 on penalties following a 1-1 draw in normal time, before they lost 3-0 to Liverpool last month.
Four regulars departed in the summer; Stephen Warnock and Jake Buxton were sold to Wigan Athletic, Ryan Shotton joined Birmingham City and Jeff Hendrick followed Burnley to the top flight. Goalkeeper Lee Grant was also sent to the Premier League, but only as a loanee at Stoke City to act as cover for the injured Jack Butland. Three players arrived to bolster the squad; Ikechi Anya and Matej Vydra both from Watford as well as Chris Weale from Yeovil Town. The Rams also signed James Wilson on loan from Manchester United.
The Manager
Last week, Steve McClaren returned to Derby for a second spell as manager after leaving Newcastle in March, and has been in charge for six days. The 55-year-old also spent three years with the Club in his playing days as a midfielder. He also made appearances for Hull City, Lincoln City, Bristol City and Oxford United in a career that lasted 13 years.
After stepping into coaching with the youth team at Oxford, McClaren spent time with Manchester United, Middlesbrough and the England squad. Failure to qualify for Euro 2008 saw him sacked by the FA before deciding to head abroad. Two tenures with FC Twente, a season with VFL Wolfsburg and a short stint in charge of Nottingham Forest followed. In September 2013, he began his first spell at Derby, before moving on to Newcastle United in the summer of 2015.
The Match Officials
Referee: Scott Duncan Assistant Referees: Daniel Robathan and Akil Howson Fourth Official: Geoff Eltringham
Pre-match Views
Dean Smith: "We have to be at our best”
Nico Yennaris: Bees must learn lesson from Newcastle United defeat
Ticket news
Tickets will be on sale from the Away Ticket Office at The iPro Stadium from 6pm this evening. Prices Adults £24, Seniors £17.50, Under-18s £12.50.
Travel News
Directions on how to get to The iPro Stadium and matchday parking arrangements can be found here.
Match Betting
Principal partners 888sport offer the latest odds on tonight's meeting. Derby County 9/10 Bees 16/5 Draw 5/2
Join Club Sponsors 888sport today and get industry leading odds on a range of sports markets!
Match Coverage
You can hear live match commentary on Bees Player from 7.15pm tonight, with Mark Burridge and Mick Cabble.
There will be live match updates on Twitter from 6.30pm.