Championship: Nottingham Forest boss Stuart Pearce admits Derby are favourites
Thursday 15 January 2015 10:26, UK
Stuart Pearce accepts Derby will be 'massive favourites' against his Nottingham Forest team at the weekend.
But the Reds boss also sees the clash with their East Midlands rivals as the perfect opportunity to arrest their alarming run of results.
The two sides head into the Saturday lunchtime kick-off at the iPro Stadium poles apart in terms of form - and league position.
Derby have won their last four matches and are joint-top of the Sky Bet Championship table, behind leaders Bournemouth on goal difference following the 1-0 win at fellow promotion contenders Ipswich at the weekend.
In contrast, 13th-placed Forest have lost four on the spin and have won only two of their last 20 matches.
Pearce, though, insists it is not a fixture Forest should fear and that the game presents the ideal chance to revive their flagging fortunes.
"It is a fantastic game for us," he said. "Derby, on the run we are on, will be considered massive favourites for the game. In some ways, we have nothing to lose. But it is a great chance for us to go and take them on.
FL72 Live
"They are playing fantastically well. They got a fantastic result at the weekend. But it is not a game we should be fearful of.
"I think it is a great game, personally. Us versus Derby is always the one game on the calendar that our fans look forward to.
"We are on a bad run, if you are going to end that bad run there is no better place to do it than on Derby's pitch.
"When you are on a bad run, the toughest place to play is in front of your own fans. We are finding that at this moment in time.
"We have to make sure that our fans have something to cheer about, because it has been a while since we have given them that. We have a great opportunity to deliver a performance that will make our fans proud."
Watch Derby v Nottingham Forest live on Sky Sports 1 from midday on Saturday.
