Nottingham Forest vs Derby: Phillip Cocu knows about rivalry as Rams prepare for Carabao Cup clash
Phillip Cocu is well aware of the intense rivalry between Derby and Nottingham Forest.
The manager takes his Rams side to the City Ground for the second round of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday evening, LIVE on talkSPORT.
“To be honest, before [joining Derby] I didn’t know [about the rivalry] because I did not have the experience to work here,” Cocu, who has won just one of his first five Championship games since replacing Frank Lampard in the summer, said.
“But, of course, it is one of the first things people let you know. It is the biggest game, and we are playing a cup game against them already.
LIVE on talkSPORT
Check out all the live commentaries coming up across the talkSPORT network this week
- Nottingham Forest vs Derby (Tuesday, 7:45pm) – talkSPORT
- Newcastle vs Leicester (Wednesday, 7:45pm) – talkSPORT
- Lincoln City vs Everton (Wednesday, 7:45pm) – talkSPORT 2
- Cardiff vs Fulham (Friday, 7:45pm) – talkSPORT 2
- Southampton vs Manchester United (Saturday, 12:30pm) – talkSPORT
- Bristol City vs Middlesbrough (Saturday, 3pm) – talkSPORT 2
- Chelsea vs Sheffield United (Saturday, 3pm) – talkSPORT 2
- Burnley vs Liverpool (Saturday, 5:30pm) – talkSPORT
“It is good, it’s great. There will be a fantastic atmosphere.
“You have to keep your emotions under control, keep the good balance between aggressiveness and to be able to play football, and don’t get into other stuff too much.
“If you are a football player, you have to love to play these kind of games.”
Derby have failed to beat Forest in their last three meetings, with their last victory coming in a 2-0 win in October 2017.
Reds boss Sabri Lamouchi says he will not field a weakened team against Derby.
He said: “A lot of our players have played a lot of games.
“We need to check on them and will then prepare immediately for Derby.
“On Tuesday, we need to pick the best possible team – a team which can cause Derby problems and which can get the win.”
Nottingham Forest vs Derby County is live on talkSPORT at 7.45pm on Tuesday 28 August
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