Southampton are unbeaten in their last 16 matches
Derby have lost five of their last five away fixtures
Recommended bet: Southampton to win
Southampton have an FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City to look forward to, but they remain laser-focused on the Championship promotion race and will aim to be at their best for a tough game against Derby at St Mary's on Saturday.
Readjustment to the second tier was a slow process for Saints, who were 15th after winning just eight of their opening 27 games.
However, they have come to life over the last few months and are approaching the weekend on a 16-game unbeaten run.
They delivered arguably their best performance of the season last weekend when winning 2-1 at home to Arsenal in the FA Cup quarter-finals and they swiftly followed up with a thumping 5-1 victory at promotion rivals Wrexham.
They will hope to maintain high standards against Derby, who are just three points beneath them and who have made huge strides since last season's struggles against relegation.
The Rams will be heading to the south coast in high spirits after winning three of their last four fixtures.
The latest Southampton vs Derby odds are available on LiveScore Bet
Team news
Southampton continue to compete on two fronts and they are maintaining a fairly healthy squad.
Midfielder Flynn Downes returned from a suspension in Tuesday's 5-1 success at Wrexham, leaving only Alex McCarthy (wrist) and Mads Roerslev (knee) on the sidelines.
Derby centre-forward Patrick Agyemang (Achilles) was forced off during Monday's 2-0 victory at home to Stoke and faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
The Rams have a doubt over Sammie Szmodics (head) and are short of options in the goalkeeping position, with both Jacob Widell Zetterstrom (muscle strain) and Josh Vickers (hamstring) out of contention.
The stats
Southampton have won eight of their last nine fixtures and Saints have opened the scoring in 10 of their last 11 matches.
Southampton have scored two or more goals in six of their last nine fixtures.
Derby have conceded the first goal in four of their last five away games, but the Rams have scored in 30 of their last 32 games.
The latest Southampton vs Derby odds are available on LiveScore Bet
Prediction
Southampton are the Championship's form team and they can enhance their top-six credentials by defeating visitors Derby in a high stakes fixture.
The next few weeks are full of possibilities for Tonda Eckert's side, who are two points inside the play-offs and only six adrift of second-placed Ipswich Town , who they have to face in their penultimate fixture of the 46-game regular season.
However, they will be respectful of visiting Derby, who remained among the play-off-chasing pack thanks to Monday's dominant 2-0 victory at home to Stoke City.
The Rams have won nine times on their Championship travels this season, but they are facing a confident and highly talented opponent and may struggle to avoid defeat.
