3/1 To Win
Captain says the weekend's encounter is a chance to see how far the side have come.
Captain says the weekend's encounter is a chance to see how far the side have come.
Rams skipper Richard Keogh believes Saturday’s clash with League leaders Crystal Palace is the perfect marker to indicate how far the side have come this season.Derby suffered only their second defeat in nine games last weekend, in a 2-1 defeat to Millwall at the Den and the Rams return to South London on Saturday, looking to maintain their record of not losing back-to-back games all season.
And although Keogh admits the weekend’s trip to the capital will be a big test for the side, the 26-year-old also states that one result will not define the side’s season.
He told Rams Player:“Despite the defeat at Millwall, there were still a lot of positives to take and everyone seems really upbeat; training has been as sharp as ever. “This group of players don’t get fazed by much and everyone has come back in, got their head down in training and worked really hard.
“We are looking forward to going to Palace and giving a good account of ourselves. For us it is a gauge to see how far we have come, because they are top of the league and on a high being a few games unbeaten.
“We have not seen anyone in this league that has really scared us, or that we cannot compete with, so we are just going to keep working hard and try and get a positive result there.”
Meanwhile, in a week that has seen Palace's Wilfried Zaha make his first full international appearance as an 85th minute substitute during England’s 4-2 defeat to Sweden in Stockholm, Keogh has acknowledged the Rams will need to be wary of the 20-year-old’s talent.
He added: “I have played against Wilfried Zaha a few times whilst I was at Coventry City and I think his talent and ability is there for all to see.
“His call-up just goes to show how much talent there is in the Championship. It is a very tough League and full of very good players. Wilfried is certainly one of those individuals, and someone we are going to have to watch out for.”
Watch the full pre-match interview with Richard Keogh exclusively on Rams Player.
