Derby County could move top of the table with a victory over Cardiff City when the two sides meet in South Wales on Saturday.

The Rams will know exactly what is required of them to climb to the summit by the time they begin their match, with current leaders Bournemouth in action against Watford on Friday night.

Only goal difference currently separates the two sides, so any slip-up for the Cherries would mean that victory would put Steve McClaren's side back in pole position.

Indeed, with Ipswich Town the only other current occupant of the automatic promotion and playoff places not facing another team in the top six this weekend, there is a real chance for the Rams to steal a march on their closest rivals.

Derby have done well to bounce back from their surprise defeat to rivals Nottingham Forest earlier this month, winning consecutive matches without conceding to make it six victories and six clean sheets from their last seven outings.

Loanee Darren Bent was the hero on Tuesday as he came off the bench to score both goals in a 2-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers, and his form since joining could be enough to earn him a first league start this weekend.

Only Bournemouth and Watford have scored more goals than Derby in the league this season, and Bent's extra firepower on top of that could prove crucial in a fascinating battle for automatic promotion.

The Rams boast the second best away record in the division but will be playing on the road for the first time since their 1-0 win over fellow high-flyers Ipswich Town on January 10 this weekend.

They don't have a great record when visiting South Wales, however, failing to win on any of their last seven visits to Cardiff. Indeed, home and away, they are without a win in seven meetings with the Bluebirds.

Jamie Ward is pushing for another start following his return from injury, but the match comes too soon for long-term absentee George Thorne, while Johnny Russell is also sidelined.

This will be the third of four consecutive league matches for Cardiff against teams currently in the top nine of the Championship table, and so far things have not gone too well for them.

Defeats to Norwich City and Middlesbrough were followed by a fourth-round FA Cup exit at the hands of Reading last weekend, condemning Russell Slade's side to three straight losses for the first time this season.

They have also only won one game from their last eight in the league, picking up a measly five points from the 24 on offer to slip back into the bottom half of the table.

The Bluebirds now sit 13 points adrift of the playoff places, and any hopes they had of making a late push for the top six are fading fast.

It has been a very busy transfer window for Slade, who could hand new signing Stuart O'Keefe a debut at some point this weekend.

Federico Macheda is pushing for a recall, but the Cardiff boss could stick with Alex Revell and Kenwyne Jones, the latter of whom has scored six goals in his last eight games for the club.

Cardiff:

Form in Championship: LDLWLL
Form in all competitions: LWWLLL

Possible starting lineup: Marshall; Brayford, Turner, Morrison, Malone; Adeyemi, Gunnarsson, Whittingham, Noone; Revell, Jones

Derby:

Form in Championship: DWWWLW
Form in all competitions: WWWLWW

Possible starting lineup: Grant; Christie, Buxton, Keogh, Forsyth; Hendrick, Mascarell, Hughes; Bent, Martin, Dawkins

Sports Mole says: 2-2