3/1 To Win
Defender Fikayo Tomori and midfielder Mason Mount admitted it will be a weird feeling playing against Chelsea tomorrow evening, but they are both fully focused on helping Derby County reach the next stage of the competition.
It has now been over a month since the draw for this stage of the competition took place. Following the penalty-shootout victory against Manchester United, the Rams were drawn against Maurizio Sarri’s side at Stamford Bridge.
That was met with smiles in the Derby County dressing room, however, for two players it turned to disappointment as they believed they would not be able to play.
Following lengthy conversations, both Tomori and Mount were given permission to play and both are looking forward to the occasion.
“We was both expecting not to play but now we are playing it is exciting,” Mount told RamsTV. “It’s a massive game for us and we are excited for it and the whole team is ready. You see what we did at United, and I think that’s what we want to bring to Chelsea now.
“It’s a game we do want to play in but it does have a weird feeling because that’s our parent club and we are going there and playing against them so it’s different but we are ready for it.
“It’s going to be tough but I think we can do it again. We have nothing to lose and we have to go there and be confident and want to play.”
Tomori added: “Last year when I was at Hull, we played Chelsea in the cup and they said no straight away and I thought it was going to be the same again. We asked the question and luckily they said yes.
“It’s going to be a difficult game, I’m not sure how it’s going to pan out but hopefully we can go there and give a good account of ourselves, like we did against United, and it will take care of itself from there.”
For both players, they have good memories at Stamford Bridge. Tomori joined the club at the age of eight, whilst Mount joined aged six. Both are previous winners of the Academy Player of the Season and have enjoyed successes in the FA Youth Cup and UEFA Youth League.
Tomorrow will be a different experience for both, however, even as they pick which side of the tunnel they go out of.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been in the visiting changing room so that’s going to be different,” said Mount. “It’s our home there for so long so we know where everything is, know the staff and the players as well so it’s going to be a weird feeling.
“We’ve been there so many times before, playing youth cup games, and we know how it feels. It will feel homely I think.
“Getting onto the pitch in front of all of the fans, it’s a different feeling not playing for the team but playing against them, but I’m very excited. It’s a massive game for us.”
Tomori also believes it will be a different experience. “I was around 18 or 19 [when I made my debut for Chelsea],” he commented.
“Coming from playing in the youth team games and then playing in front of 40,000 people, it’s a lot different.
“When you get on the pitch you try not to think about it but it’s a big step up and try to work yourself into the game and try not let that affect you.”
The Rams are in good form, having taken seven points from a possible nine against three promotion candidates and the central defender believes his side have nothing to fear going into the game.
He said: “Coming back from the international break, we knew the games we had coming up so since everyone came back we’ve been on it. Everyone knew we had to play well.
“There is one thing playing badly and getting results but we have been playing well. On Saturday we didn’t manage to get the three points but the performance overall was good and if we apply the same attitude on Wednesday then we shouldn’t have problems.”
