Tension at Derby County will be at fever pitch if Valerien Ismael lands big Blackburn Rovers statement | OneFootball

The Rams face a visit from their head coach's former side on Saturday, and a defeat will be hugely significant in their fight for survival.

John Eustace's decision to leave play-off challengers Blackburn Rovers for a struggling Derby County rocked the Championship in February, with the 45-year-old returning to the club that he retired from as a player 10 years ago as the new head coach.

However, it has not been the start to life back at Pride Park that he would have hoped for, with his Rams side losing all three of their first three games with the former midfielder in charge, conceding six goals and scoring none.

A 1-0 defeat to Middlesbrough was the latest in a run of 10 losses in 12 games in the league for the East Midlands outfit, and with Luton Town beating Portsmouth 1-0 themselves, Eustace's team are now bottom of the table.

Derby have to pick up wins immediately, and the task at hand this weekend will be incredibly tough with Valerien Ismael looking to put one over his predecessor as Blackburn make the trip to DE24 in a game that is sure to be hotly-contested.

Tension at Pride Park will be extremely high if their current form continues

Pride Park has not been the safe haven for the Rams this season that many have associated it with being in the past, and many away teams have come to the East Midlands and gratefully picked up three points.

Goals at the right end have been non-existent for weeks now, and Derby have to find a way out of this rut that they find themselves in, otherwise they will go straight back to League One at the first time of asking.

Eustace knows that there will be a lot of songs, jeers and shouts aimed at him over the course of the 90 minutes against Blackburn, with the fans of his former side desperate to see his struggles continue, and he needs his team to be up to the challenge to get that elusive win.

If not, then tension surrounding Pride Park will be at a fever pitch with supporters wanting answers from those high up at the club as to why the difficulties that started to spring up in the first half of the season were not rectified with the correct signings in January.

Eustace is fighting with one hand tied behind his back as Derby's squad is significantly weaker than the majority of the Championship teams' right now and he needs his players to show more endeavour and take more risks in key moments.

Ismael would love to endear himself to Blackburn fans with a win

For Ismael at Blackburn, he is looking for his first win since being revealed as their new head coach, and victory against the Rams would instantly make him a favourite.

Rovers have dropped out of the top six and know that they have to get back on track quickly to avoid the likes of Coventry City and West Bromwich Albion creating a significant gap to the Lancashire outfit, and Saturday could offer them the perfect opportunity to do that.

Derby will be resolute defensively, and Blackburn cannot afford to let the emotion of the occasion get to them with three points on offer.

However, they know a win will create a storm at Pride Park and it will only make Eustace's job harder to turn around a terrible season for his new club.