Derby County boss Phillip Cocu has admitted he will be hoping to turn the Stoke City crowd against their own players this afternoon.

Even though Nathan Jones’ side won in the cup in the week, successive league defeats to start the campaign has meant there is a lot of anger around the Staffordshire club right now.

And, whilst Cocu acknowledged his side are in for a tough game, with Stoke-On-Trent Live reporting that the boss feels controlling the game could make things more difficult for the hosts if the crowd turn.

"This could be an important part of the game. If we are capable of taking the initiative, keeping the ball and denying them to go back and so they cannot play their game, that could be some influence on the home fans. So we have to wait and see."

"Like always, an away game will be difficult but we also need to be confident and have confidence in our own qualities."

The Dutchman has had a bright start to life as the Rams boss, picking up four points from his first two Championship fixtures and they won in the League Cup on Tuesday.

The Verdict

There's no doubt whatsoever that the Stoke fans will be restless going into this and you can understand why.

After a poor end to the previous campaign, it was all about focusing on this season and a strong start was expected but it hasn't worked out.

So, there will be pressure on the Potters today and that is something that Derby will look to take advantage of.

Ultimately, they will do that by dominating the play and the first goal could be crucial this afternoon.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.