It will be a clash between the two promotion hopefuls when Derby County square off against Brighton and Hove Albion at the iPro Stadium in the opening week of the Championship and the match should prove to be an interesting encounter.
Derby County Match Betting News
Derby County managed a place in the playoffs last season and although the Rams were unable to win promotion, the overall campaign could be seen as a positive one.
Over the summer, Derby have appointed a high quality manager in the form of Nigel Pearson and the club will surely be targeting promotion during the upcoming Championship campaign.
Despite the arrival of Pearson though, Derby have not spent any money whatsoever in the transfer window and it will be interesting to see if the former Leicester boss is able to inspire the Rams to a promotion charge.
Derby prepare to open their Championship campaign with a clash against Brighton and Hove Albion at Pride Park on Saturday and it goes without saying that the encounter will be a very tough one for the home side.
Brighton and Hove Albion Match Betting News
Brighton and Hove Albion were desperately unlucky not to win promotion into the Premier League and the club is probably still reeling by their agonizing miss.
However, Brighton most certainly cannot afford to dwell on the past and one can be sure that the Seagulls will be more determined than ever to make amends during the upcoming campaign.
Manager Chris Hughton has made a couple of decent signings this summer in the form of Steve Sidwell, Glenn Murray and Oliver Norwood, and Brighton have to be considered one of the favourites for the Championship title.
Given the volatile nature of the Championship though, earning promotion is evidently extremely difficult and Brighton will only have thoughts on getting off to a good start when they square off against Derby in what should be a challenging encounter.
Derby County vs Brighton and Hove Albion Match Prediction
These sides played out two draws last season and one suspects that the clash this weekend will be a similarly close affair. Brighton perhaps possess the stronger side heading into the game though and might just be able to claim a narrow victory.
