'Really difficult' - John Eustace fires Sheffield Wednesday warning at Derby County players
Sheffield Wednesday will be determined to halt their losing run against Derby County at Pride Park.
Derby County head coach John Eustace has said he expects Sheffield Wednesday to offer a stern test when they meet at Pride Park on Saturday afternoon.
The Owls will make the relatively short journey to the East Midlands looking to arrest their 12-game losing run in the Championship after being beaten 3-1 by Southampton at Hillsborough last weekend.
That stretched their winless run in the Championship to a whopping 29 matches, meaning they are without a win since recording their first and only league win of the season against Portsmouth at Fratton Park back in September.
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Although relegation became official almost a fortnight ago, Wednesday remain determined to avoid being relegated to League One with a negative points tally. They are currently on -7 with 11 games left to play.
In Wednesday’s defence, they have been involved in some tight contests recently, being beaten by the odd goal in three against both Millwall and Sheffield United respectively while also putting up a respectable fight in the second half against Southampton last time out.
With that in mind, Eustace, who is hoping to lead Derby to a top six finish this season, is not expecting a walk in the park for his players against Henrik Pedersen’s side.
Eustace shares Wednesday verdict
Speaking to RamsTV, Eustace said: “It's a difficult situation for them. They've got a really good manager who's doing a fantastic job under difficult circumstances, and the fans are right behind the team.
“You expect that from big clubs. We know the game is going to be a really difficult game for us, for sure.
“They're playing with a lot of freedom. It's important that we go about our business properly and very professionally and see where it takes us.”
Meanwhile, Eustace has confirmed the Rams will once again be without first-choice goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterström as he continues to try and overcome an illness-related issue. The shot-stopper has missed each of the last six matches.
“Jacob’s still struggling with his virus, unfortunately,” added Eustace. “He's not fit enough to take part in training.
“We want to get him back on the pitch, of course, and we've got to get to the bottom of why it's keeping him off the pitch. We're working hard, we're getting tests, but there's just something not right at the moment.
“He is feeling better, which is great, but he's just not at the level to perform on a Saturday and train every day. We've just got to be a bit patient with him.”