- Derby have made a slow start on the road in the Championship 2026/2027, losing one and winning none, scoring 1.00 and conceding 2.00 goals per-game on average.
- Derby have won none of their last five matches, drawing two and losing three.
Hammers are the underdog
West Ham are the firm favourite at 7/25 in the outright market for this game against Derby County and the Rams are massive underdogs at 7/5 to pull an upset at the London Stadium on Saturday.
Both of these sides have made poor starts in the Championship 2026/2027, with West Ham sitting 19th with two points from their opening three games, while Derby are 21st with just a solitary point.
The Hammers arrive off the back of a 1-1 draw at Watford in the Championship, while they also claimed a 1-4 win over Southampton in the EFL Cup during the week.
Derby have a decent defensive base
Nuno Espirito Santo's side did taste defeat for the first time this season at home to Charlton (1-2) in the Championship and Derby have shown some promise in their single away game in the Championship.
John Eustace has his men drilled into a 4-2-3-1 formation and they will be compact and tough to break down when out of possession with a two-pivot that can spring forward quickly.
Both of these teams like to hurt their opponents in transition, and Derby will have a go, but I think the visitors are more likely to see the game play out in a more cagey manner than the odds suggest.
Nuno Espirito Santo's team are also set up in a compact shape and can flip to five at the back, while they have the quality to hurt teams on the counter-attack.
West Ham have the edge
West Ham have a head-to-head edge over Derby, beating them 2-0 away in the FA Cup in 2022/2023, so the Hammers have the psychological edge and the quality to edge this one.
Joel Piroe has been their best player in the Championship 2026/2027 so far, with one goal in two games, and gives them a bit of a edge up top over Derby, although Joshua Ajala has also hit two goals in his last five appearances, a real bright spot in a run of six goals in five games for West Ham.
Bobby Clark has been Derby's danger man in the Championship 2026/2027, with one goal and one assist in three games, so he could be one to watch in this clash.
West Ham to win and both teams not to score looks a great option here, as the visitors are more used to scoring on the away, while both teams to score - no is available at a similar price of 53/100.
