Two sides that have been heading in opposite directions in recent weeks meet at the iPro Stadium this weekend as Derby County host Brentford in the Championship.

The visitors have lost three of their last four matches in the league, while Derby are unbeaten in their last four, having won three.

Derby County

The Rams made an indifferent start to the season under Paul Clement, drawing their opening four fixtures of the Championship season, before being beaten in the fifth.

However, Derby's form has turned around in September, with the team picking up three wins away from home, including a 3-1 victory over MK Dons last time out, moving them up to ninth in the table.

The team are still looking for their first home win of the season though, having suffered their only defeat of the campaign so far, a 2-1 loss to Leeds United, at the iPro Stadium in August.

Ahead of the match against MK Dons last time out, Clement insisted that his side must win their final two fixtures before the upcoming international break, leaving the players under pressure to perform in this game.

Derby have one of the strongest defensive records in the division, having kept three clean sheets in their first nine matches, while letting in just seven goals - only second-placed Middlesbrough have conceded fewer.

Attacking has been the team's big problem though, with the side having only scored 10 times so far this season, leaving them joint-16th in the scoring rankings.

Recent form: DLWWDW

Brentford

Five wins in their last seven outings in the Championship cost Marinus Dijkhuizen his position as Brentford head coach earlier this week, with the club announcing on Monday that the Dutchman was leaving.

Lee Carsley, who has been the club's development squad manager, takes charge of the team for the remainder of the season, but has insisted that he does not want the job on a long-term basis.

The interim head coach has already made an addition to the squad, bringing Chelsea youngster John Swift in on loan for a month. The England Under-20s international previously had a spell in the Championship with Rotherham United last season.

The Bees' slump continued during the week though when they slipped to a 2-0 defeat to Birmingham City, leaving the side 19th in the table, just a point clear of the bottom three.

Brentford are one of just two clubs in the Championship yet to keep a clean sheet in their opening nine fixtures, with Huddersfield Town also letting a goal in in each of their matches. However, Brentford have conceded six times more than the Terriers, with only Bristol City having conceded more often.

Despite their position in the league table and their defensive struggles, the Bees have shown promise going forward, scoring 12 times so far - twice as many as this weekend's opponents.

Recent form: LDLWLL

Team News

Brentford have confirmed that Swift will be available for selection after joining on loan, so could make his debut for the visitors.

Just two weeks ago, Dijkhuizen complained that he had 15 players in the treatment room at Brentford, but there have been no fresh injury concerns for the Bees following their midweek outing.

Philipp Hofmann should be nearing his return from a stomach injury, although the team may not want to risk him with the international break so close, while Lewis Macleod is also due back soon.

Derby have revealed that George Thorne should be available after training following a knock, while captain Chris Baird is also back at training after missing time with a bout of illness earlier in the week.

Craig Bryson and Jake Buxton will still be on the sidelines for the hosts this weekend, but the duo are reported to be close to a return to action.

Derby County possible starting lineup:
Carson, Christie, Keogh, Shackell, Warnock, Butterfield, Baird, Johnson, Ince, Martin, Russell

Brentford possible starting lineup:
Button, McCormack, Dean, O'Connell, Bidwell, Woods, Diagouraga, Canos, Vibe, Djuricin, Judge

Head To Head

Brentford secured four points from their two matches against Derby last season, sharing a 1-1 draw at the iPro Stadium following a 2-1 win at home earlier in the season.

That was the first time the two sides had met in a league match since 1947, although Derby did secure an emphatic 5-0 victory in a League Cup match in 2013.

In 13 previous matches between the two sides, both teams have picked up six draws, while the stalemate when the sides last played in April was the first draw.

Video Preview

Hit play below to see what the Sports Mole Sofa had to say about this encounter:

We say: Derby County 2-1 Brentford

Although Derby are yet to win at home this season, there could be few better sides to look for the elusive first victory against than an out-of-sorts Brentford with an interim head coach who will still be getting to know his players. With a loss in midweek, the Bees will come into this fixture low on confidence, while Derby will be expecting the win given their recent form. It is difficult to see anything other than a home win.