Championship Preview: Derby Set Their Sights on the Top Spot

West Ham vs. Portsmouth

West Ham have certainly prepared themselves for the promotion push, as they have signed a number of players since their last match against Nottingham Forest. Despite having a decent start to the season, Sam Allardyce does not seem to be happy with the players he already had, which has resulted in the addition of players like David Bentley and Papa Bouba Diop.

These are players with Premier League experience and one can certainly expect West Ham to put up a strong show against Portsmouth. Despite having just one victory so far, Portsmouth find themselves in mid-table with six points on board.

With an improvement in form, they can certainly aim towards finishing in the playoffs, which would be a master boost for the club, which has suffered a lot since its relegation a few years ago.

Portsmouth could hand Benjani his first start after returning to the club, while most of the first team players are fit for the visit to Upton Park. Tal Ben Haim is one of the players who was expected to miss the match due to an injury suffered on international duty, but he seems to have made sufficient recovery in time to face West Ham.

Coventry vs Derby County

Derby have managed to have a strong start to the season, which clearly denotes that they have finally put the relegation from the Premier League behind them. The team struggled against relegation last season, but with four consecutive wins coming to an end only last weekend, they are in a great position to finish at least in the playoffs.

Coventry City, on the other hand, have not put their last season behind them and have continued to struggle since the start of this campaign as well. They have managed to avoid a defeat in their last two matches only, which has put them just one place above the bottom of the table.

However, Coventry manager Andy Thorn will be hoping that the draws with Middlesbrough and Watford will have provided them with the necessary confidence needed to take on a side on a good run of form.

It is certainly not easy to perform well when the team is in the relegation zone, even in this early part of the campaign, but Andy Thorn will be hoping that his players perform and make use of the home advantage against Derby County.

Both sides are evenly matched in terms of the past results, but the current form certainly favours the visiting side.