Sheffield Wednesday: Derby County boss Phillip Cocu has his say ahead of Owls clash

The Rams go into the clash with Garry Monk’s outfit in 16th place after slipping to a 1-0 defeat at Blackburn Rovers on Saturday and have won only one of their last five matches

However, Derby haven’t lost a home fixture to Wednesday since 2006 and five of their six league victories this season have come at Pride Park.

Speaking to the media on Monday, Cocu acknowledged Wednesday will present his side with a number of challenges but is confident they can chalk up another home win.

“It’s not an easy game,” he said. “They have qualities, can be aggressive, can play direct but if we play our game like we have done in previous weeks at Pride Park then we are capable of getting a good result.”

The former Holland international, who replaced Chelsea-bound Frank Lampard as manager in the summer, revealed that he held an open meeting with his players on Monday morning following the Blackburn defeat.

“I need to have a different approach to get a change in the team’s mindset. Some players had their say with the intention of things progressing and moving forward,” said Cocu, who confirmed he had no new injury worries.

Play-off hopefuls Wednesday make the short trip to the East Midlands in buoyant mood after coming from behind to beat Brentford 2-1 at Hillsborough on Saturday – their first back-to-back victories in the Championship since August.