Head Coach Paul Warne is expecting a 'completely different game' from the reverse fixture at Pride Park Stadium back in October when Derby County take on Exeter City on Tuesday night (7:45pm kick-off).
The Grecians have been on an impressive run of late, winning four of their last five including victories over Barnsley and Peterborough United, so Warne knows how difficult of a test awaits his side.
Derby were 2-0 winners when the sides met earlier in the campaign, with Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and Conor Washington on target.
Speaking to RamsTV ahead of the trip to Devon, Warne reflected on Saturday's 1-1 draw at home to Shrewsbury Town and gave his thoughts on what he expects from Exeter under the lights.
On Ryan Nyambe's fitness...
He's sore on his knee, still. We'll see if he's going to train with us in a bit, I'm not 100% sure. Hopefully he will be and be in our travelling party. but I don't honestly know yet. Hopefully he will be OK.
On the Shrewsbury Town debrief...
I think I got the shape wrong and that's my fault, I take full responsibility. In the first half, there wasn't much between the teams but in the second half we were a lot more like ourselves. In League One, every game is difficult and of late we've won many matches by not creating a lot but we've conceded very few goals, there's really not much in it. You can see that by the results in the last few weeks with all the teams in the top six. If we would have won 1-0 on Saturday, I would have still been disappointed we didn't have a better grip of the game. To win, you have to ride your luck at times, take your chances and sometimes you need a bounce of the ball at the other end. Unfortunately for us, it didn't go our way. We're disappointed we dropped two points and it felt like a defeat.
On Max Bird's recent form after signing for Bristol City and returning on loan...
If I did doubt his mentality, then I wouldn't have even endorsed the whole loan back deal. He looks like he's playing with a bit more freedom in fairness and obviously that's been eclipsed by the fact he's scored a couple of goals recently. His effort levels are always through the roof. I never doubted his professionalism. hence why he will go on and have a long prosperous career. We've been encouraging him to shoot more. He's such a technical player and sometimes wants to score the perfect goal. The best strikers in the world miss no end of chances, so you've got to allow yourself to miss. We're pleased he's pulling the trigger more and his overall performances have been ace.
On Exeter City and Stevenage...
Tuesday night and Saturday afternoon are two different games. Exeter and Stevenage definitely play different ways, so it may take different systems and different players to get the best out of us. We've watched the last three Exeter games and they've beaten Wigan Athletic, Barnsley and Peterborough United in their last four games, so I know how good they are. We also know Stevenage's strengths and how they are going to play and we will pick a different look to our team, possibly, for that game.
On Exeter City's recent results...
They've done a little bit of tweaking in the transfer window, which most people do, and they've come out of it really well. They've won four out of five and have played well against good teams. I thought Peterborough were the best team we've played at home this season, they had too much for us, but Exeter beat them at home and beat Barnsley away. To go away to Wigan and win is some effort, too. They like playing at home and I remember what a difficult game it was last year at Exeter. It will be a completely different game to the one at Pride Park earlier in the season.
