Two of the Championship's top three teams go head to head on Saturday afternoon as Burnley host Derby County in a huge match in the race for automatic promotion.

Burnley currently reside in the coveted second place, although Derby have emerged as their closest rivals in recent weeks as Queens Park Rangers have suffered a dip in form.

The Clarets are two points clear of the Rams as things stand, and a victory for either side on Saturday could prove to be a vital swing in points.

Should the hosts win then a five-point gap would begin to look quite comfortable for them, particularly given their fine recent form.

Sean Dyche's side have not been beaten in their last 10 Championship outings and have only lost three times all season, the joint-fewest number of defeats for any side in England's top four divisions.

They remain the only Championship side to have not suffered a loss at home this season, while their tally of just 10 goals conceded at Turf Moor is also the best record in the league.

The only concerning thing for Dyche may be the number of matches that his side are drawing having shared the spoils in four of their last seven outings.

The hosts have no new injury concerns to worry about and could opt for an unchanged lineup from the team that beat fellow promotion hopefuls Nottingham Forest 3-1 last weekend.

A victory for Derby would lift them into the top two of the table, capping off a remarkable run of form under manager Steve McClaren.

The Rams suffered a minor blip at the start of the calendar year, falling to back-to-back league defeats, but they are the only two Championship losses in their last 18 games.

They are unbeaten in their last seven matches and boast the league's best goalscoring record, with 60 goals from their 32 outings.

Derby games have seen 100 goals in the league this season, more than any other club, but the cost of that is a defensive record that is the worst in the top 13 of the table.

However, they have cast aside their status as the league's entertainers in recent weeks, keeping three straight clean sheets and winning each game by a solitary goal to nil.

McClaren's men have one of the best away records in the Championship this season having picked up 31 points on their travels, one more than they have managed at home and a tally only leaders Leicester City can beat.

Paul Coutts remains sidelined for the visitors but they have no new injury concerns and could name an unchanged team for Saturday's match.

Recent form

Burnley: DDWWDW

Derby: DWDWWW

Possible starting lineups

Burnley: Heaton; Trippier, Mee, Shackell, Duff; Kightly, Marney, Arfield, Jones; Ings; Vokes

Derby: Grant; Wisdom, Keogh, Buxton, Forsyth; Eustace, Hendrick, Hughes, Russell; Bamford, Martin

Sports Mole says: 2-2

Previews by email