Derby County boss, Wayne Rooney, has warned his squad that they need to keep their emotions in check this weekend when they take on Nottingham Forest in the East Midlands derby. 

Both head into the fixture on the back of midweek wins, with Forest 1-0 winners at Rotherham United. For Derby, they picked up a Yorkshire scalp too, beating Huddersfield Town 2-0.

Naturally, attention is now drifting to the East Midlands derby, as Derby prepare to host their fierce rivals at Pride Park.

For Rooney, his initial instruction to his players and staff is to not let their emotions get the better of them on such a big occasion.

“It’s an important game for us, it’s a derby and we want to win it," Rooney said, as quoted by the Nottingham Post.

“We’ll go into that game full of confidence, but it’s still three points. We have to prepare right and not let our emotions get the best of us.

“I certainly won’t and the players won’t. It’s more the kitmen and the other staff I’ll need to try and calm down!”

Earlier in the season Forest held Derby to a 1-1 draw at the City Ground, with Lyle Taylor cancelling out Martyn Waghorn's free-kick.

Just two points separate Forest in 15th and Derby in 18th.

The Verdict 

Derby v Forest is always a massive occasion and it's right that Rooney is looking to keep a lid on things within the Rams' ranks.

He's got so much big-game experience himself and he knows exactly how to handle himself in these situations.

It's not quite the top-six clash that fans would have hoped to see, but it is still a massive game for both clubs and both sets of supporters.

Emotions will run high and we should get treated to a really entertaining game of football.

Thoughts? Let us know!