Derby vs. Fulham Predictions: That man Mitrovic to fire leaders closer to Championship title

Derby host Fulham at Pride Park on Good Friday in a Championship clash that could have consequences for both the top and bottom ends of the table. The Cottagers go hunting for the win that will take them a step closer to the league title, while troubled Derby know that another defeat will severely hinder their chances of staying in the second-tier (Sky Sports, 8pm)…

Fulham have a 10 point cushion at the summit of the Championship heading into the first-round of Bank Holiday games on Friday. The title may be tantalisingly close but Marco Silva’s men can’t afford to be complacent, especially considering that Bournemouth (2nd) have a game in hand.

Fulham’s form is a little bit mixed right now, they've lost two of their last five games and suffered a surprise 3-1 defeat at home to Coventry last weekend. Yet, it would be far more of a shock if they slipped up against Wayne Rooney’s Derby whose defeat at Swansea left them a daunting nine points adrift of safety with just five games left to play.

As a result, Derby are 1/100 to be relegated, and are out at 26/5 to conjure up a much-needed three points at home to leaders Fulham who are 8/13 for the win, whereas a draw is available at 3/1.

Marco Silva will no doubt be reeling from the disappointing nature of Fulham’s 3-1 loss to Coventry, however it's likely to be just a mere bump in the road on his side's march to the title.

Fulham have an excellent away record, winning 13 of their 20 games so far; accumulating a league high 43 points, eight more than anyone else. They’ve won seven of their last nine on the road, including two important wins at QPR and Middlesbrough this month.

Derby can actually draw on a very reasonable home record, which has seen them record 10 wins from 20 games in front of their own fans, losing only once in the last 10. Bournemouth, Sheffield United, West Brom have all returned home empty handed, which highlights just how tough it can be to claim the three points.

However, this is Fulham we are talking about here. They’ve won 25 of their 40 matches this season, they've blasted in six-shy of a century of goals, and are 10 points clear at the top with just six games left: We fully expect the visitors to rack up their 14th away win of the campaign.

To add a bit more value to the bet we’ve teamed it up with an anytime Aleksandar Mitrovic goal to form a tasty 2/1 shot with Paddy Power. The striker boasts a simply absurd record-smashing tally of 38 goals this season. 38! And he could easily hit the 40 mark on Friday.

This particular bet has landed in a staggering 22 of Fulham’s league games in 21/22.

We’ve already explained why Fulham are the pick to triumph on Friday, yet it may not all be plain sailing for the league leaders.

As also mentioned, Derby have a very respectable record at home where they’ve picked up 37 points on their own patch, more than the likes of Luton, Coventry and QPR.

While we think Fulham will come out on top, Derby look like a decent bet to score, something they’ve done in each of their last 14 matches at Pride Park dating back to early October. In fact, they’ve only blanked in two of their 20 home games this season.

A Fulham win and Derby to score is therefore our second pick at 5/2 with Bet Victor; Fulham to win and both teams to score is a bet that's landed in 11 of their games this season.

Meanwhile, we fancy 2-1 in the correct score market in favour of Silva’s side, which is available at 15/2 with bet365.