Head Coach Paul Warne believes 'neither team will want to lose' when Derby County and Bolton Wanderers go head-to-head at Pride Park Stadium on Saturday - but says that won't take away from the fact both will be going full steam ahead to get three points.
The Rams will welcome Ian Evatt's Trotters to Pride Park on Saturday (3pm kick-off) and just one point and one place separates the two teams prior to kick-off with Derby sitting in second and Bolton in third.
Speaking to RamsTV ahead of the match, Warne gave his thoughts on another big game on home soil following the 2-1 success over Reading on Tuesday.
On the promotion race with eight games left...
It will come down to the smallest of moments. I've said it from the start of the season. If all the teams win their games in hand, there are literally four of us with two points difference and just eight games left. It will come down to the smallest thing and then it will be the lottery of the play-offs for those who are lucky enough to be in it.
On Saturday's fixture against Bolton Wanderers...
I think it's a game that neither team will want to lose. Ironically, we will both be going for it but if you lose it's a bigger blow. It felt a bigger blow when we lost at home to Peterborough in January than when we lost at home to Charlton a few weeks ago. It has more connotations further down the line. With eight games to go, there's still 24 points to go so even if you lose it and win six of your other games, you may be handsome and get the job done. Three games in a week has been notoriously tough for us, so it's about trying to refresh the lads as best we can and trying to be the best team we can be to win.
On his assessment of Bolton...
I think they are a very well managed club. I really like Ian Evatt, I think he's a really good coach and a really good guy. I like the way his teams play, I've seen a lot of them. They've got a couple of injuries with two of their strikers ruled out, although they still have two formidable strikers to come in. They've put themselves in a really good position. This is their third season in League One and they've sort of built and improved on the team year-on-year. The club has massive expectations and with that comes a pressure for the players, not dissimilar to us.
On being able to manage the squad more now players are returning to fitness...
It's easier and harder in equal measure. If you have 18 players who believe they should start the game, it's harder than 12. However, from a manager's point of view, if I want to change three or four players for Saturday, and I think it's the right thing to do, I don't think it makes us weaker. I just think it makes us different. Having a strong squad is imperative to success and whether you play 20 minutes, 25 games or 45 games, every contribution matters. We feel like we're sort of getting there. Unfortunately the season may end too soon for a few but hopefully Collo will come back soon, but Ryan Nyambe won't as he had an operation.
