Prutton Expects 'Intriguing' Derby Clash

Ex-Nottingham Forest midfielder David Prutton expects an ‘intriguing’ contest when his former club face Derby County in the East Midlands derby on Sunday.

Just two points separate the sides in the Sky Bet Championship table after 11 games, with both Gary Rowett and Mark Warburton set to take charge of their first derby at Pride Park.

Prutton, who came through the youth system and went on to play 168 games for Forest, picked out Derby’s main strengths ahead of the clash.

He now a pundit on Sky Sports and regularly features on their EFL coverage.

Speaking in a live interview with Sky Bet alongside the Rams' manager Gary Rowett, he said: “It’s going to be a really intriguing match. Derby look like a powerful team.

“When Derby are at their best; you see Tom Huddlestone’s passing, the power that comes from the middle of the pitch with Bradley Johnson and the speed and versatility of Johnny Russell. Forest will have to combat that.”

Prutton expects the Rams to be under pressure to perform in front of their own fans, but he believes that Forest can take inspiration from the recent Steel City derby at Hillsborough.

He added: “The onus is always on the home team to go out and entertain, so there will be an element of that.

“Whether Forest will concede possession and try to play on the counter-attack remains to be seen.

“The Sheffield derby was nicely poised, but United went straight after Wednesday very early, which is a great blueprint for how to start a derby match.”