3/1 To Win
Phillip Cocu says Derby County’s players have a ‘positive feeling’ whenever they are in action at Pride Park Stadium – and he’s keen to ensure that’s the case when the Rams take on Stoke City under the floodlights on Friday evening (7:45pm kick-off).
Derby have the joint second-best record in the Championship for points recorded on home turf so far this season.
Cocu’s side have recorded 29 points from their 15 home matches, winning eight and being held to a draw on five occasions.
In fact, the Rams will go into the clash with the Potters looking to record a fourth successive home victory following the recent successes against Charlton Athletic, Barnsley and Hull City.
While Derby’s away form continues to provide an element of frustration, Cocu believes there’s plenty to be positive about when it comes to playing in front of the Pride Park faithful.
Speaking to RamsTV, Cocu said: “We perform very well at Pride Park.
“The feeling, as players and staff, when you play at Pride Park and with the fans supporting us is only a positive one.
“It gives us a great connection with the team and maybe influences the opponents too.
“In the last home game against Hull City we played some very good football, so we will try to continue to combine the football we play with results and hopefully we can win the game.”
Cocu is also looking for a reaction from his side when they take on Michael O’Neill’s side in their final fixture of the first month of the year.
Derby tasted their first defeat in eight matches in midweek when they fell to a 3-2 defeat at Luton Town.
Cocu was bitterly frustrated and angry following the game at Kenilworth Road, particularly as his side conceded within a matter of moments of both taking the lead and equalising late on.
They had taken the lead just after the hour mark through skipper Wayne Rooney’s first goal for the club, while Chris Martin’s late header looked to have salvaged a point before the Hatters retook the lead straight away.
Cocu admitted: “We still have to deal with some frustration from Tuesday night, I cannot get rid of it in the last couple of days.
“If you look at how we played, we scored two good goals and we really didn’t need to lose the game.
“For me the biggest frustration is in details and moments, especially after we scored on both occasions we conceded.
“It was one of the away games where we had most of the control, but again we were without the result.
“It means that we need to focus on the game at Pride Park now against Stoke and make sure we get three points and continue on the positive streak in the home games.”
Stoke will make the short journey across Pride Park looking to continue their own impressive recent run.
They have picked up four wins and a draw from their last six outings and have shown a marked improvement in their form following the appointment of Northern Ireland boss Michael O’Neill in November.
Derby played out a 2-2 draw at Stoke, then managed by Nathan Jones, in the early weeks of the season but Cocu is expecting a different sort of test this time around.
He said: “Stoke have done well and with a new manager you can see some differences in the approach and how they play.
“They play a little bit more out from the back with a different style and they are compact in their defending and well organised.
“There is a real clear structure of the team and they have quality players. They are an experienced team and now they are doing better they will feel better.
“They are tough to beat so it will be an interesting match. We are getting good results in our home games and Stoke are in a good moment too. We want to live up to our ambition and climb the table as well, so we need another three points.”
