Championship Play Off Final live streaming details
Derby County will be looking to continue their fantastic form when they face Queen’s Park Rangers at Wembley in the Championship Play Off Final on Saturday.
Queen’s Park Rangers were the hot favourites to win the Championship this season after their shock relegation from the Premier League and R’s owner Tony Fernandes wasn’t shy about once again splashing the cash in order to buy his way back to the top flight.
Manager Harry Redknapp made a plethora of summer signings, including Burnley striker Charlie Austin, former Aston Villa defender Richard Dunne and ex-Portsmouth midfielder Gary O’Neil in order to try to bounce straight back to the Premier League.
A touch of class was added when Yossi Benayoun and Niko Kranjcar arrived and the squad was further bolstered by the loan signing of West Ham’s Mobido Maiga.
However, these players, plus the expensively assembled squad already at Redknapp’s disposal, couldn’t help QPR achieve automatic promotion as they struggled to keep pace with Burnley and Leicester City. They did, however, manage to secure a play off spot and a win over Wigan Athletic has Rangers supporters believing that they can once again reach the promised land.
They will meet Derby County at Wembley on Saturday although the Rams are now the favourites to win the match, having put together an incredible run of form in the latter half of the season and finished above QPR in third place in the Championship.
Derby don’t have the star names of QPR but they do have a shrewd manager in Steve McLaren and some hungry players such as Will Hughes, who are determined to show that they belong on a bigger stage. County will feel invincible after their 6-2 aggregate demolition of Brighton in the play off semi-finals and there are few that would argue with their position as favourites at Wembley on Saturday.
The match is poised to be a thriller, with the experience of QPR up against the impetuous fearlessness of the young Derby side and those with a Sky Sports subscription will be tuning in from 3pm.