3/1 To Win
Gary Rowett wants to Derby County to grasp the chance to bounce back when they head to the capital to face Queens Park Rangers on Tuesday night.
Two first-half goals from in-form Fulham condemned the Rams to defeat at Pride Park Stadium on Saturday, but Rowett’s side have the opportunity to respond under the lights at Loftus Road.
The Derby boss highlighted the importance of moving on from the weekend defeat as quickly as possible.
He told RamsTV: “We’re fully aware that our recent form is not how we want it to be, but as a manager I have to come in on the Monday morning to try find the reasons why and put them to bed.
“We have to move on and concentrate on winning the next game, which we have a fantastic opportunity to do on Tuesday night.”
A combination of error and misfortune has contributed to the majority of the goals that Derby have conceded in recent weeks.
Against Fulham, both goals were preceded by deflections and Rowett believes that the squad need to focus on cutting the mistakes out of their game as they look to get back on track.
He said: “We’ve shot ourselves in the foot a little bit and we have to try and eradicate those small errors that are making it very difficult for us to get the result that we want.
“Until we get to that point where we’re keeping clean sheets again and we have that confidence, games are going to be difficult.”
QPR have been inconsistent for large parts of the Sky Bet Championship campaign, and they go into the clash with the Rams after back-to-back defeats against Sheffield United and Nottingham Forest.
Rowett is well aware of the challenge that Ian Holloway’s side will pose on Tuesday night.
“Ian’s teams are always up for it and they always work incredibly hard. They will always try to press and put you under pressure,” he said.
“You’ve got to play your football when you need to, and we know that we’re good enough to go there and win the game, but we also have to be respectful of what they offer and how determined they will be.”
The boss also provided an update on the fitness of George Thorne, who was withdrawn early in the second half against the Cottagers at the weekend.
“We have got a few knocks after Saturday, so we’ll wait to see the extent of them.
“George will be out for a short period, it was his calf so I think he will be out for two to three weeks.”
