Although Saturday's home defeat at the hands of Sheffield Wednesday appeared to have increased the pressure of Stuart Pearce, his post-match interview took on an optimistic tone as he looked ahead to Saturday lunchtime's East Midlands clash.
"It’s a fantastic game for us," he told the official NFFC website.
"With the run we’re on Derby are massive favourites. In some ways we’ve got nothing to lose."
The Rams won a key promotion clash away to Ipswich to leave Steve McClaren praising the 'maturity' of his side and believing that the confidence gained from the result will see Derby in good stead for the rest of the season.