The two sides are on diverging paths in the Championship and that has led some Forest fans to fear a similar heavy defeat to last season at the iPro Stadium.
Derby's Chris Martin, quoted in the Derby Telegraph, said this week: “They’ll be well up for it and I’m sure their manager (Stuart Pearce), with his links to the club, will leave his players in no doubt about what is expected and how much it means."
Experienced midfielder John Eustace will be missing for the Rams through suspension and assistant manager Paul Simpson has said that the loan arrival of striker Darren Bent could mean a change in formation for the hosts.