Derby County face a tough test this Saturday as they travel to face West Ham United in the Championship. The 3pm BST kick-off at the London Stadium marks the first league meeting between the clubs since December 2011, a match Derby won 2-1. Both teams head into the fixture with momentum, having secured their first wins of the season in midweek.
Derby County currently sit 20th in the Championship table with 4 points from five games, following a win, a draw, and three losses. Their recent form reads LWLDL, and they have scored 5 goals while conceding 10, leaving them with a -5 goal difference. The Rams are also seven points behind league leaders Swansea City. Paul Warne's squad faces a significant injury challenge, with defenders Derry Murkin, Matt Clarke, and Craig Forsyth all currently sidelined, a situation detailed on the club's injuries page.
A concerning trend for Derby County is their form against sides that have just dropped from the Premier League. Since the beginning of the 2024-25 season, they have failed to win in all 12 of their Championship matches against teams relegated the previous campaign. That run consists of four draws and eight defeats. Worryingly, they have lost their last four such games in a row. This historical difficulty adds an extra layer of challenge to Saturday's trip to face a West Ham side that was in the top flight last season.
The Hammers present a formidable opponent on their own turf. They have won four of their last six home league matches, losing the other two. This represents a stark improvement on a poor 20-game stretch prior to that, which yielded just three wins, seven draws, and ten losses. West Ham's overall home record against Derby is strong, with just one defeat in their last 16 league meetings at home. That solitary loss was a 2-1 reverse in January 2005 under then-manager Alan Pardew.
One player Derby will need to contain is teenage midfielder Divine Mukasa. For West Ham, Mukasa has been directly involved in seven goals across his 12 Championship starts this season, scoring four and providing three assists. His total of seven goal involvements is four more than any other teenager in the division in 2026. Stopping his creative influence will be a priority for the Derby defence.
Following the trip to London, Derby County's attention will quickly turn to another difficult fixture. They host West Bromwich Albion at Pride Park on Wednesday, September 9th. West Brom are currently 5th in the Championship table, making it another stern test. Fans can view the full schedule on the club's fixtures page. The team's current league position can be tracked in the standings. Derby's immediate focus, however, is solely on trying to break their poor run against top-flight dropouts when they meet West Ham this weekend.
