Marco Silva is aware of how difficult a place Pride Park is to go, ahead of Fulham’s trip on Good Friday.
No side has lost fewer games on home soil than Derby County’s three, but a hefty points deduction means the odds are against Wayne Rooney’s men avoiding relegation as we approach the end of the season.
“Derby is a really tough side to play, it doesn’t matter what position they are,” Silva explained in his pre-match press conference. “We know why they are in that position, the deduction of points made a big impact on Derby.
“It’s been a really tough season for them. It’s really tough when you are doing your job on the pitch but then you look at the table and you’re in a really tough position because of the deduction of the points.
“We have played against them, in pre-season and at the Cottage as well, and had some chats. Not just with Wayne, but with some players that I’ve had the pleasure to manage at previous clubs, like Curtis Davies and [Phil] Jagielka, who was there in the first half of the season, and I know how it’s been difficult for them.
“But they have shown togetherness and team spirit. If they had the 21 points that were taken from them, they would be really comfortable in the table, they would be having a really good season.
“They have a good mix between young lads who are hungry to play football, and experienced players like Curtis, [Tom] Lawrence, [Ravel] Morrison. They play with a lot of courage as well.
“Wayne is doing a good job, and when they play at home it’s been tough for all the teams they’ve played so far. They have achieved good results at home and, for sure, it will be a tough game for us.
“Normally it’s a tough place to play because the crowd is always behind them, supporting them, even in this tough period, and it will be tough for us.
“We have to play at our best, not make the same mistakes we made against Coventry. Go there with full desire, full commitment and the right attitude to control with our energy and quality to play our game and to try to win the match.”
