3/1 To Win
Phillip Cocu says Derby County’s sights are firmly set on going into the upcoming international break on a high note.
Derby return to Sky Bet Championship action on Saturday afternoon with a home fixture against Luton Town (3pm kick-off).
After achieving their first home victory of the season last weekend against Birmingham City, followed by a draw at Barnsley in midweek, Cocu wants to take some momentum into the second international break of the campaign.
The Rams are unbeaten in their last four league fixtures, claiming one win and three draws, ahead of the visit of the Hatters.
Speaking to RamsTV, he said: “It is our goal to get another win at home before the break.
“After the victory against Birmingham last weekend it felt really good and was a big boost for us.
“It was a good game against Barnsley in midweek, the late equaliser kept us from the win but we are very eager to give a good performance as a team on Saturday to try and get another home win.”
He added: “We have to demand from ourselves like we did in the last home game and give everything we’ve got on the pitch. I have no doubt they will do that and that the fans will back us.”
Derby were close to claiming back-to-back for the first time this season in midweek.
An injury-time strike by the hosts at Oakwell meant the Rams returned home from South Yorkshire with just a point to their name following the 2-2 draw.
Cocu feels his side are becoming more prolific in front of goal, scoring seven times in their last four outings, but admits keeping the ball out of the net at the other end is equally as important.
He said: “We were very close to getting another victory, but we didn’t get it. It is just a pity we have so many draws. For the number of points, it is better to lose one more and win two more, but it is like it is.
“We are improving in positions in front of the goal, we are scoring more goals and we need to focus on working more on the set pieces to avoid conceding too many goals because they are an important part of the game.
“It is clear we have to do better because it is a really important part of the game and maybe even more in our league. We will focus on that, not only in these days leading up to the game, but in the international break too.
“If we can manage to improve on it all then we will probably have more points in the next few games.”
Cocu is expecting a tough encounter against Graeme Jones’ Hatters this weekend.
Last season’s League 1 champions have made a steady start to life back in the second tier and the Derby boss has made it clear they should not be underestimated.
He said: “We cannot underestimate them, they also have away wins already.
“It will be a tough game. They are a high energy team, they play a 4-4-2 diamond shape, so that is also something we haven’t faced a lot until now.
“We play another home game, so with the fans behind us we need to make sure we make another good impression and a good performance. If we can do that, I think we are capable of getting the win.”
